Hospitallers medic and former journalist Olena Sharhovska dies at 46

Olena Sharhovska, a medic who spent the final years of her life pulling wounded soldiers from Ukraine’s front lines, has died at the age of 46. The Hospitallers medical battalion and her former employers at Novynarnia confirmed the news on Friday. Her death ends a career that spanned television, print journalism, and high-intensity combat medicine.

Sharhovska served for 25 months in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She joined the military on September 10, 2022, which was also her birthday, after returning from Portugal where an injury had kept her from fighting immediately. She served in the International Legion and was deployed to the Bakhmut and Toretsk sectors as well as Kharkiv Oblast. Her service concluded in August 2024 when she was discharged for health reasons.

Yana Zinkevych, the commander of the Hospitallers, described Sharhovska’s work as a rescue mission in the most dangerous areas of the war. Zinkevych stated that after mastering tactical medicine, Sharhovska evacuated the wounded from the hottest sections of the front line. She noted that Sharhovska snatched the lives of soldiers from death while transporting them to stabilization points.

Before her military service, Sharhovska built a career in media. She worked as a journalist, translator, and editor for both television and print outlets. She also contributed to projects for Ukraїner and Osvitoria. Her professional shift began in 2015 when she volunteered with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov before later joining the Hospitallers.

Sharhovska was also an advocate for women in the military. She co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv in 2016, a protest that urged the government to open male-only positions to female recruits. As a member of the Women's Veteran Movement during her service, she pushed for better equipment for female defenders. She also trained other service members in tactical medicine.

Novynarnia remembered her as a person of words and travel who maintained a deep interest in people. The outlet reported that she continued to support fellow soldiers through fundraising and purchasing vehicles for the front. Her motto, according to colleagues, was to do what she believed needed to be done and then let the consequences fall where they may.

Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner, recalled living next door to Sharhovska in Vynohradar. He described her as a driving force behind many processes and a source of support for their shared editorial work. He noted that while she was supportive of her peers, she remained strict in her approach to new ideas.