Chief surgeon of Ukraine's Armed Forces: Nature of modern combat injuries radically changes, over 80% shrapnel wounds
Due to changes in the nature of warfare and the widespread use of drones on the front lines, servicemembers are now suffering far more shrapnel wounds than gunshot wounds, said Colonel of the Medical Service and Chief Surgeon of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kostiantyn Humeniuk.
"As of today, about 81.3% of injuries are shrapnel wounds, while gunshot wounds are much fewer – about 18.7%," Humeniuk said at the Kyiv briefing on Friday.
He explained that injuries are almost always multiple, affecting several anatomical areas – the abdomen, chest, limbs, and head, while isolated injuries to a single area are practically nonexistent. The colonel noted that during the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and Joint Forces Operation (JFO), military surgeons did not observe such a high number of shrapnel injuries.
"The nature of modern combat trauma has changed radically," Humeniuk said.
Speaking about the localization of injuries, the colonel noted that the lower limbs are most frequently affected. At the same time, he emphasized that the body armor used by Ukraine's Defense Forces is reliable, although it does have weak spots, specifically, the areas above the plate, below it, and on the sides.
"Believe me, military surgeons in the combat zone are doing everything necessary to save our soldiers. We are implementing modern, new, minimally invasive methods," he said.
Humeniuk emphasized that Ukraine's military surgeons "are pioneers," as they are performing unique operations, some of them the first of their kind in the world.