In June 2024, in a conference room somewhere in Kyiv, Samir Becic met with a representative from Krevni, a Ukrainian organization working to help wounded special operations forces personnel and their families.
Taking lessons learned by similar organizations in the United States and adapting them to the Ukrainian experience, where resources and public awareness are much more scarce, the Krevni representative—whom we will call “Yuriy” for his protection—briefed Samir on the organization and its approach to the mission.
Tens of thousands Ukrainians have been killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion and in the years of fighting that preceded it. Due to the nature of the conflict, special operations forces have borne the brunt of the effort to counter Russian aggression, and many young operators have sustained life-changing injuries.
Krevni assigns a case manager to each wounded warrior as soon as it learns of his battlefield injury. The case manager attends to the medical and psychological needs of the injured soldier from the time he is stabilized to the time he completes rehabilitation a year or more later. Krevni strives to assign no more than fifteen wounded personnel to each case manager to ensure the best quality of care.
When appropriate, the case manager sees to the provision of prosthetics for the wounded. Unfortunately, obtaining adequate artificial limbs has been a big challenge for Krevni. Given both Ukraine’s limited pool of manpower and the fighting spirit of its warriors, many special operators seek to return to the battlefield after receiving prosthetics, but the special ops mission set typically requires more advanced prosthetic limbs than are commonly—and affordably—available.
Krevni focuses on the psychological well being of Ukrainian warriors as well, providing counseling and recreational opportunities for those in need. In the unfortunate event that a special operator falls in battle, Krevni not only makes arrangements for a dignified transfer of the remains for burial, but it also reaches out to begin providing counseling services and financial support for the next of kin.
To continue its worthy mission, Krevni is seeking financial assistance and partnerships with foreign companies. One particular area in which technology companies, for example, could assist would be in the provision of Apple Watches or similar smart technology that could be issued to each wounded warrior to assist in tracking his progress in rehabilitation. If you are interested in supporting this dedicated group, please visit https://www.krevni.com/en#CTA.
