Veteran Olena Sharhovska Dies After Serving in Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv
The former journalist and translator completed her military service in August 2024 after years of frontline medical evacuations and advocacy for women in the armed forces.
By Thomas Obasi ·
Olena “Jane” Sharhovska, a veteran of the Hospitallers medical battalion, has died. The Hospitallers commander, Yana Zinkevych, and former colleagues at the media outlet Novynarnia shared the news on October 24. Sharhovska spent the decade before 2015 working in media, serving as a journalist, translator, editor, and social media specialist. Her career included projects for Ukraїner and Osvitoria, spanning television and print media.
Sharhovska shifted to medical work in 2015. She initially volunteered with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov before joining the Hospitallers. Zinkevych noted that Sharhovska mastered tactical medicine and evacuated wounded soldiers from the most intense sections of the front line. The commander described her efforts as snatching lives from the jaws of death en route to stabilization points.
During the full-scale Russian invasion, Sharhovska was in Portugal. An injury delayed her return to Ukraine, during which time she volunteered from abroad. She formally joined the military on her birthday, September 10, 2022. She served with the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, deploying to Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast.
Her duties extended beyond medical evacuations. Sharhovska trained other service members in tactical medicine and co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv in 2016. That event urged authorities to open military positions to women. As a member of the Women's Veteran Movement, she also advocated for proper equipment for female defenders.
Sharhovska was discharged in August 2024 for health reasons. Novynarnia described her as a person of words and travel with a deep interest in the world. The outlet noted that she continued to help fellow soldiers through fundraising and by purchasing vehicles for the front despite personal difficulties. Her motto was to do what she believed needed to be done, and then come what may.
Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner, also paid tribute. He recalled living in neighboring buildings in Vynohradar and discussing editorial matters in their kitchens. Lohvynenko described her as a driving force behind many processes and a source of support, while noting she remained harsh toward the unknown.
