Melodiya, a composition by Ukrainian composer Miroslav Mikhaylovich Skorik, and the Ukrainian national anthem were heard at the Zaragoza military hospital on Sunday afternoon. On 24 February, five days after the first anniversary of the Russian invasion, the group from Huesca la Movida performed a concert in the center’s assembly hall with The Ukrainian Association of Residents in Aragon (AURA) would like to thank the work of health workers and volunteers who take care of the wounded soldiers in the war. There are 14 patients now and more are expected to come this week.
“I am moved to see here the people of my land, who directly suffered the consequences of war for my country”, recalled Yulia Yeremko, a Ukrainian pianist from Huska’s group, who acted philanthropically. In the summer he would stay for 15 years in Spain, where his relatives already lived.
“The war has to end, we must not lose hope that it will be soon, but Right now it looks like it’s going to last for years”He mourned before taking the stage with the other four members of the band to reel off a 70s and 80s rock repertoire.
A special guest at the appointment was Paralympic swimmer Olena Akopian, who came to Zaragoza last March with her two 12-year-old twin daughters after fleeing the war and leaving her home in Bowery, 20 kilometers from Kiev. It is a story of friendship with Valentine swimmer and one of his main rivals in the pool Teresa Perales. Once here, she also received help from the DFA Foundation, which provided her with a home, which the three of them share with another Ukrainian refugee who had recently arrived.
With 15 Paralympic dents and a total of 73 records between swimming, biathlon and Nordic skiing, it is clear to him that When the conflict is over “I will return home because I want to help rebuild my country, it will be very important”, she insisted. Advisor to her town’s mayor and sports commentator, she fled when bombs fell around her home and “with a wheelchair I couldn’t get to any bunkers or basements, and I wasn’t going to send my daughters alone “
Before the start of the concert, almost all Ukrainian troops came, they wanted to be photographed with him and with volunteers from the AURA association, who work as translators and come daily.
Military hospital director Juan Antonio Lara Garrido and medical lieutenant colonel Alfredo Martin served as hosts. Martin remembered that the first three wounded had arrived on May 5 and Since then they have treated 25 who have already returned to their countries, in addition to 14 who are still in the Valentine’s capital, one of them admitted to Miguel Servetus. airplane pilot, Andrey Maxim, who had both legs and back treated because He had to parachute from the aircraft he was piloting and was shot downHe is the patient who has to live longer.
“The war has to end, we must not lose hope that it will happen soon, but today it seems that it will last for years”
“They’ve all been complex treatments, These are usually wounds from firearms or mines that are not only accompanied by deformation of the bones but also those of the arteries and muscles, in addition to the fact that they are usually contaminated. without forgetting the psychological consequences”, Martin summarized. The center has already expanded its staff with 20 interim staff, missing only the traumatologist, who takes care of the Ukrainian military, to be able to withstand the pressure. This week they plan to get 14 more.
AURA charters 20th truck
Fundraising efforts continue unabated. Svitlana Habets, a Ukrainian teacher who arrived in Spain some 23 years ago, traveled from Fraga, where she lives, to sell a story and solidarity drawings made by Veronika Lopatyuk, an 11-year-old girl born in Fraga. “His pictures have changed since the war started, he was very happy and colorful and now he shows tears and many signs for his country”Explained.
Alina Klochko, president of the AURA association, took the opportunity to take stock of the work developed during this “brutal and senseless” war. The group is preparing the 20th truck with humanitarian aid that it is taking on charter and has shipped a dozen vehicles so far: Six ambulances, five jeeps and one minibus. Klochko appealed for both financial donations and those in need of packaged food products.
As the tragic anniversary draws near, he prays that the struggle, “pain” and “needs” of the Ukrainian people will not be forgotten. “We all fight here together and in our own way,” he said. And he addressed the soldiers thus: “You are an example to the whole world. Because of you, we are free.”
