Andrii Taran, paramedic and chaplain with call sign Padre, has died
This was written by MP and founder of the Hospitallers Medical Volunteer Battalion, Yana Zinkevych.
"Andrii began his path in the war back in 2014.
First, he joined the Azov Regiment, and later, after losing a close friend near Ilovaisk, he decided to save bodies, not only souls.
He trained as a paramedic, served in a special forces group, and later became part of our battalion, where he spent a significant part of his service, rescuing wounded soldiers in the fiercest areas of the front.
After returning to civilian life, he sought to help other veterans overcome the psychological consequences of war.
Andrii was a complex and controversial person.
His life path was never simple or clear-cut; he had done many different things, and his actions and decisions often sparked heated discussions.
His military past included not only rises but also falls, including his expulsion from our battalion.
However, despite all the controversies and his difficult character, it is impossible to deny his significant contribution to the defence of Ukraine.
I am grateful to him for his service and for every life saved on the front line," Zinkevych wrote.
"Andrii’s mother has provided a card for financial support, but she asked that it not be made publicly available.
If any of his friends or comrades-in-arms have the desire and opportunity to help the family at this difficult time, please write in private messages, and we will provide the details.
Rest in peace, Padre. Thank you for your service!" Zinkevych added.
Valeriia Burlakova, media and campaigns coordinator at Amnesty International Ukraine and the author of an interview with Padre published on Censor.NET, wrote: "Padre is gone. A Protestant pastor who went to war in 2014 and never truly returned from it. A gangster from the 1990s, forgive the bluntness. A cook in Azov. A paramedic. The best spotter I have ever had in my life. A person who, it seems, managed to be everything. We met by chance in a bar in Cherkaskе, and God, we went through so much together afterwards, even going AWOL from a training ground in Avdos.
Once, after the battles for the forest, I asked him whether it was easier for a deeply religious person to accept the death of comrades-in-arms.
He did not even think about it.
‘No. It is not easier. No, no, no. It never gets easier.’
It seems to me that this is one of the most universal phrases about war I have ever heard."
The interview with Padre can be read here.
