Not all heroes wear capes.
Source: Kyiv Post
Combat medic Svitlana from the 128th Territorial Defense Brigade, currently deployed in the Zaporizhzhia area, saved her fellow soldiers from an attempted enemy encirclement. Spotting the threat, she grabbed a grenade launcher and, with a precise shot, eliminated a group of advancing Russian troops, according to a statement from Ukraine’s General Staff on Monday, May 12.
Svitlana who before the war was a highly experienced intensive care nurse at the Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, volunteered for Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces at the start of the 2022 full-scale invasion.
Although an experienced nurse and medic, she had received some weapons training, including training in the use of grenade launchers. But on military ranges, not going all Audie Murphy and taking an entire Russian attack force herself.
Details of her heroics, via NV
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russian inaders launched an attack using armored vehicles and airborne troops while Svitlana was stationed at a company stronghold. After the unit’s commander was incapacitated, she took charge, coordinating the defense via radio with instructions from the battalion commander, who was monitoring the fight through a video feed.
When it became clear that a Russian assault team had flanked the position and was preparing to encircle the defenders, Svitlana acted. Armed with a single-use grenade launcher, she maneuvered behind the enemy group and fired through the window of the house where they had taken cover, killing them all, the military said.
Her quick decision-making disrupted the enemy attack, preserved Ukrainian defensive positions, and allowed for a later troop rotation.
“I asked the guys to hold their ground and not retreat under any circumstances — if we gave up our positions, we wouldn’t survive,” she said. “So I took a grenade launcher and went to meet the Russian stormtroopers. They had gotten too close — just two houses away. I flanked them, stood up, and fired through the window. The entire enemy group was wiped out. The guys said, ‘You’re crazy.’ But what else could I do? Wait for them to kill us all?”
Indeed.
And this isn’t the first time she’s received a medal for valour, although she still seems embarrassed by the recognition. But she has her reasons.
Recently, the commander of the “”Dyke Pole” brigade awarded Svitlana the Cross of the Ground Forces.
“I even felt awkward – I already have two Golden Crosses of the first and second class, and many other awards. And there are people who’ve been nominated many times but still haven’t received one,” she adds.
Svitlana’s son, also a volunteer, was killed in fighting near Bakhmut. She made it her mission to save the lives of her fellow soldiers.
Ukrainians have sacrificed a lot. They’re never going to just surrender to these bastards.
Ukrainian nurse destroyed Russian unit with a single grenade launcher shot, saving her entire unit from encirclement.
A combat medic named Svitlana took command when her unit’s leader was unavailable during an intense Russian assault on the southern Zaporizhzhia front.
She was… pic.twitter.com/xeSqcXy9yu
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 12, 2025
A #Ukrainian combat medic destroyed a group of #Russians with a grenade launcher, saving a unit.
Svitlana, a combat nurse, volunteered at the start of the full-scale invasion.
Recently, during a powerful attack by #Russian occupiers, involving armored vehicles and paratroopers,… pic.twitter.com/sVugsYvmvl
— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) May 12, 2025