Veteran Combat Medic Olena Sharhovska Dies at 46
The former journalist served 25 months on the front lines before health issues forced her discharge in 2024.
By Kevin Iyer ·
Olena "Jane" Sharhovska died at age 46, ending a career that spanned journalism, translation, and two and a half years of combat medical service in Ukraine. Yana Zinkevych, commander of the Hospitallers battalion, confirmed the death on social media. Former colleagues at Novynarnia also shared the news, noting that Sharhovska had maintained a deep interest in people and the world until the end.
Sharhovska began her military service on September 10, 2022, her 46th birthday. She joined the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after an injury prevented her immediate return from Portugal when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. She spent that initial period volunteering from abroad before enlisting.
Her deployment included postings in Bakhmut, Toretsk, and Kharkiv Oblast. In these areas, she performed medical evacuations and trained other service members in tactical medicine. Zinkevych described her role as evacuating wounded soldiers from the most intense sections of the front line. The commander noted that Sharhovska worked to stabilize soldiers before moving them to safer medical points.
Before her military service, Sharhovska built a media career as a journalist, editor, and social media specialist. She worked in both television and print media and contributed to projects for Ukraїner and Osvitoria. Since 2015, she had volunteered in medical roles, first with the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital named after Mykola Pyrohov, and later with the Hospitallers.
Sharhovska was active in advocacy for women in the military. She co-organized the Invisible Battalion March in Kyiv in 2016, a demonstration urging authorities to open previously male-only positions to women. As a member of the Women's Veteran Movement, she also campaigned for better equipment for female defenders.
Health reasons led to her discharge from the military in August 2024. Novynarnia stated that she continued to support fellow soldiers through fundraising and by purchasing vehicles for the front. Her personal motto, according to the outlet, was to do what she believed needed to be done and then accept the outcome.
Bohdan Lohvynenko, founder of Ukraїner and a neighbor in Vynohradar, remembered their conversations in shared kitchens. He described her as a driving force for many processes and a source of support, while noting she remained critical of the unknown.
