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DISPATCH | ANTHONY LOYD

Meet the former British colonel treating wounded Ukrainian soldiers

In a hospital in Dnipro, injured soldiers pour in from the eastern front. Dr Andy Kent, who has worked in Mosul and with the British Army, tells Anthony Loyd that the scale of the conflict has shocked him

Andrii Musii and Vlodymyr were among hundreds of wounded Ukrainian troops who arrive each week to be stabilised and moved to hospitals further west
Andrii Musii and Vlodymyr were among hundreds of wounded Ukrainian troops who arrive each week to be stabilised and moved to hospitals further west
ANTHONY LOYD FOR THE TIMES
Anthony Loyd
The Times

The stench of the front had followed the wounded into the ward, so that the bandaged men reeked of a mixture of sweat, tobacco, soil, dried blood and disinfectant. A few still smelled of cordite. There were no loud voices, no laughter, no careless boasts of courage, no slogans of glory here.

Fresh from the horrors of Bakhmut, their limbs penetrated and shattered by flying metal, the soldiers spoke to one another softly, if at all, as they waited to have their wounds dressed before being evacuated westwards. Some were silent, staring into space as they reflected on what had brought them here.

“I’m going to keep talking to you to distract you from the pain,” said Dr Andy Kent, as he leant forward to