DONETSK, October 4. /TASS/. Two neurosurgeons from the Special Forces Medical Unit of the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy have conducted over 100 surgeries on wounded soldiers within just four months of their deployment in the DPR, according to Dmitry Svistov, chief neurosurgeon of the Russian Ministry of Defense and head of the Academy’s neurosurgery department and clinic, speaking to TASS.
"This team includes two of our neurosurgeons, both graduates of our academy. They are working exceptionally well - actively, confidently, and efficiently. They have performed 102 surgeries in four months," Svistov stated. "This is a remarkable achievement, even for a peacetime hospital. If we project this over a year, it amounts to approximately 300-350 surgeries annually - comparable to the volume handled by a district hospital."
He further emphasized that graduates of the academy are serving across district hospitals in various regions involved in the special operation zone.
"Our current graduating class of neurosurgeons is sizable, and all have gone on to serve in hospitals providing battlefield care - both district and naval hospitals. Presently, more than 20 military neurosurgeons are working directly in frontline areas and neighboring regions," Svistov added.
Additionally, second-year interns and students involved in the Military Scientific Society of the Military Medical Academy are also dispatched to assist in treating the wounded.
"This allows them to gain invaluable experience - not only through classroom theory but also in real combat conditions, right in the operating rooms at the frontlines. Such firsthand experience is beyond what can be learned from books or films; it must be seen, touched, and felt. These lessons will stay with them for life, especially given their young age," Svistov concluded.
What specialists arrived in the DPR
Svistov arrived in the DPR as part of a delegation from the Russian Ministry of Defense, which included Yevgeny Kryukov, head of the Military Medical Academy; Alexey Kulikov, chief ophthalmologist of the Ministry; Vladimir Khominets, chief traumatologist; and Igor Litvinenko, chief neurologist. They visited the academy’s special forces medical detachment operating in the DPR since June, performed several surgeries, and awarded state honors to the medics.