Army launches investigation into death of mobilised paediatrician from Kharkiv region

Investigation into the circumstances of a military medic's death

The command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces has initiated an inquiry into the death of Ihor Reveka, who worked as a paediatrician in Kharkiv region before being conscripted. The man was mobilised on 25 September. Despite his military registration specialty requiring medical qualifications and his having experience working in emergency medical services, he was appointed as a grenade launcher assistant gunner.

On 16 October, Ihor Reveka died at a medical facility in the city of Dnipro.

Reaction from family and society

The deceased's daughter published a post on the social network Threads, where she spoke about the loss: «Сьогодні я дізналася, що помер мій вітчим. Він був одним із найкращих лікарів-педіатрів Харкова. Він врятував багато людей під час COVID -19. Через два тижні після того, як його забрало ТЦК, нам повідомили про його смерть» (Today I found out that my stepfather died. He was one of the best paediatricians in Kharkiv. He saved many people during COVID-19. Two weeks after the TCK took him, we were informed of his death).

This incident sparked a wave of outrage among military colleagues and the general public. In particular, Serhiy Filimonov, commander of the "Wolves of Da Vinci" battalion, reacted to this by questioning the organisation of medical support in the unit where the deceased served.

«У мене виникає цілком логічне запитання: а в якому стані медична служба цього полку, якщо кваліфікованого лікаря залучають до штурмових дій? Чи настільки добре там усе з медичним забезпеченням, що можна дозволити собі втрачати таких фахівців?...Професійний лікар на своєму місці може врятувати сотні життів. І це теж питання боєздатності підрозділу», — зазначив він (A perfectly logical question arises for me: what is the state of the medical service in this regiment if a qualified doctor is involved in assault operations? Is medical support there so good that they can afford to lose such specialists?... A professional doctor in his proper role can save hundreds of lives. And this is also a question of the unit's combat readiness, he stated).

Review of all stages of service

The Ground Forces assure that the investigation will cover all key aspects: from passing the military medical commission and the mobilisation procedure to the training process and establishing the exact causes of death.