A Ukrainian soldier died on the battlefield of Bakhmut, a city located in eastern Ukraine. His death has sparked a fierce dispute between some American veterans and a volunteer trainer.
Many dead ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield is what the war that Russia started leaves behind, and the confrontation that took place in Bakhmut -a city in the east that has been the center of intense fighting- was no exception, due this time to the military inexperience of some Americans.
In June, as reported by the Insider medium, Soldiers of the 47th Ukrainian Assault Regiment went into battle against the advancing Russian.
Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, has been the center of heavy fighting against the Wagner Group mercenary group.
It was there where Brian Wang (35), a US citizen, found himself in the middle of a carnage and was unable to rise to the occasion.
dead ukrainian soldiers
Wang, a firearms instructor, was one of thousands of foreigners who volunteered to help Ukraine.
Some joined to fight with the Ukrainian International Territorial Defense Legion, while others with relevant skills -como Wang- they volunteered.
Upon entering a house in Bakhmut, two Ukrainian soldiers were ambushed by Russian troops, the former dying instantly.
The second was shot several times, including in the abdomen, so Wang stepped forward to try to save him, but felt betrayed by nerves in the process.
None of the Ukrainian soldiers survived.
Emboscada en Bakhmut
Sons of Liberty International (SOLI) is a non-profit security contracting company comprised of veterans primarily from the US and Canada.
Two SOLI instructors shared with Insider that Wang, taking more responsibility than he was qualified for, endangered the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
“He’s definitely a war tourist.” Erik Inbody, a 29-year-old SOLI instructor and retired Marine, said of Wang.
The deaths at Bakhmut are the source of most of the controversy.
According to a bulletin written by Wang at the time, he was not supposed to be involved in the action that day.
Wang traveled to Bakhmut with the battalion, but was left behind the line in the camp because the battalion commander felt that he was not experienced enough to be in the thick of battle.
“I was a drag” wrote Wang himself.
American Instructor Mistakes
Wang, by his own admission, decided to take it upon himself to rescue the wounded Ukrainian soldier. Wang is not a trained doctor and is not in charge of running the unit. It is not clear if any of his higher-ups were present.
He went on to detail his efforts to save the soldier along with a squad medic nicknamed Wolf.
Wang described a scene from the fog of war: In a chaotic blur, the two performed a needle decompression on the soldier.
The soldier was eventually loaded into a van to be rushed to a hospital.
The situation was desperate, Wang wrote: The soldier “was dying and there was nothing we could do about it.”
Wang described how they decided to perform another needle decompression, saying he was unsure and “shy” because the soldier “It had a lot more muscle than the spare ribs we normally used.”
“I doubted myself because the needle and catheter wouldn’t move, and I pushed harder, heard and felt it go through the chest wall,” he wrote.
“I was afraid my needle would pierce something further into his lungs, and I was too timid to push the catheter all the way in,” he added.
An RCP that ended with dead Ukrainian soldiers
Wang said he then decided to perform CPR, his biggest mistake.
Another member of the group, a combat medic named Will, told him, “Chest compressions don’t work, don’t do CPR now. I have taught you this.”
Battlefield CPR is not recommended for use under Tactical Combat Casualty Care training, according to the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians guidelines.
“In combat, unsuccessful CPR attempts can interfere with the care of casualties who have a chance of surviving and can interfere with the unit’s ongoing mission,” the guidelines say.
Wang said performing CPR in that case was appropriate, as it was a last resort in trying to save a dying man.