"I just want to make sure I won't be ashamed later" — Hospitaller with the call sign “Kytsia”, Olena Budz

Olena “Kytsia” Budz joined the Hospitallers battalion in 2024. She has worked in all evacuation roles — casevac, medevac, stabilization point, and the "Avstriyka" evacuation bus. She has served in the Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Donetsk directions.

"After the Hospitallers' training course, I was extremely motivated to help. Literally the next day after the training, I was already back at work when the missile strike on 'Okhmatdyt' happened. I was far from the scene, but the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. That day, I decided I’d take another course and officially join the battalion."

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Before joining the Hospitallers, "Kytsia" held the position of Head of SMM at a film studio. Together with her team, she ran major promotional campaigns for films such as Mavka, Dovbush, and others. After joining the battalion, she left that job and returned to photography, a long-time passion of hers.

"During rotations, I photograph people — crews, the wounded, doctors, and hospital staff — and through these photos, I tell stories. First and foremost, of course, I am a paramedic. There are moments when I see a perfect shot and think, ‘I wish I had my camera,’ but I’m a paramedic, and my purpose here is different. Once people trust me and we’ve built a connection, I can share that I’m also a photographer and take some pictures."

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Olena is originally from Kyiv, but she spent much of her free time in the countryside with her great-grandparents. She describes herself as a bit of a tomboy growing up.

Olena draws her strength and motivation from the ability to be useful. Even something as simple as letting someone call their family, explaining what happened, changing a dressing, or giving overworked doctors a break means a lot to her.

"Right now, I’m on rotation and thinking about how I can become even more effective, even more helpful."

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