The Tactical Medicine Project is the largest project within our Defenders Aid program, accounting for about half of its budget because proper training and first-aid can save lives immediately on the battlefield.
In May 2023, UHU adopted an existing medical training organization in Kyiv and rechristened it the United Help Ukraine International Center for Tactical Medicine. We have expanded its capabilities so that it employs 20 certified trainers who can provide training and tactical first-aid kits to more than 2,000 defenders and combat medics per month. Ordinary soldiers are trained so they can assist themselves and others when wounded if a medic is not immediately available. We also train defenders at the locations where they are based.
Through the project, UHU has distributed more than 50,000 tactical first aid kits and 300,000 tourniquets to Ukrainian defenders and combat medics since Russia first invaded in 2014. Components of the first aid kits include advanced QuikClot wound dressings to stop heavy bleeding. First aid supplies also include specialized backpacks for paramedics. At a cost of as much as $3,000, each backpack can be used to help up to 15 wounded.