Mykola Hoyko: “Not only the life of the wounded depends on the driver, but also the life of the crew”

In summer, when the sun is scorching, the temperature inside the evacuation shuttle reaches +60C (140F). “The wounded person needs to be loaded there, and the doctor has to treat him,” says the PDMSh transport director.

Mykola Hoyko is a man of stocky physique, so the pseudo “Hora” (“Mountain” in Ukrainian) suits him best.

At PDMSh, Hora is responsible for the smooth operation of a fleet of dozens of specialized vehicles, many of which are unique. In an interview with journalist Dmytro Tuzov, he talks about himself and the work of his fellow volunteer drivers of the mobile hospital. And, of course, about PDMSh.

“To save people, you need to keep the fleet in perfect condition,” Hora emphasizes. “The work of evacuation vehicle crews at the front is a special page in the Russian-Ukrainian war.”

According to him, not only the life of the wounded depends on the driver, but also the life of the crew. In extreme cases, a driver has to floor the gas pedal and rush at a speed of 150, 160, 170 km/h – and this is on the broken front roads! So they have to constantly find a balance between “rush” and “safely.”

Top photo: PDMSh Transport Mykola “Hora” Hoyko (left) and PDMSh President Gennady Druzenko during an award ceremony.