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- A challenge for the doctor: how a German doctor exchanged European comfort for a frontline hospital
A challenge for the doctor: how a German doctor exchanged European comfort for a frontline hospital
Foreign volunteers in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are not a mass phenomenon, but they are already familiar. Among them, those who came from Western European countries stand out. These people not only abandon their established way of life in order to fight for their ideals, but also actually oppose the political line of their native countries. Izvestia visited the medical unit of the Southern Military District and learned the story of a German doctor who moved to Russia, joined the Russian Armed Forces and is now saving the lives of wounded Russian soldiers.
On the help line
The medical battalion of the Southern Group of Forces is in full swing. The buggies of the evacuation teams unload the wounded one by one, who are immediately taken in and sorted. In the operating rooms, serious patients are stabilized and emergency procedures are performed before they are sent to the rear hospitals.
A thin man in a vest and a pixel uniform with the call sign Thomas is preparing equipment for the next departure. He will accompany the patient in the intensive care unit as soon as the surgeons finish their work. Thomas does not have a permanent job at the hospital itself — his tasks are in constant motion, during the next stages of evacuation.
— My wife is Russian. I came to Russia three times on vacation and saw what a wonderful country it is with a rich history and traditions that I have sincerely come to love," says Thomas. — I have already planned the move. And when I saw on television in 2022 that a special military operation had begun, I immediately told my wife to pack her things and a cat, and we left Germany. Here I began to look for what I could do to help.
As an experienced doctor who worked in the German equivalent of sanitation, he joined the medical battalion.
Communication takes place in a mixture of Russian and English. However, Thomas pronounces everything about medicine in Russian, considering it important for adaptation. He understands that in his profession, even a momentary hitch or misunderstanding can cost a person their health.
He recalls how, while living in Germany, he watched the news using the Internet after blocking Russian TV channels, because he understood that the German media broadcast a lot of lies and misinformation.
— I knew what they were saying — it was a big lie that did not correspond to reality. In fact, the situation in Germany is very sad, especially with regard to LGBT people (the international LGBT movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation. — "Izvestia"), migrants, crime, — the doctor shares his observations.
By the time he started his career, he already had many friends in Russia, whom he was worried about and whom he wanted to help. Thomas's wife was glad to return to her homeland.
— At first, my wife was not happy when I decided to join the army. She thought I'd have to shoot. But I explained that I was a medic, and using a weapon was a last resort. When she saw that I was really happy to be able to help, she said: "Do it, but be careful," Thomas recalls his decision to serve in the Russian Armed Forces.
German accent and Russian vest
He was warmly and trustfully received in the battalion. The friendly team helped Thomas settle in quickly. Of course, it is not complete without jokes. Security guards, like patients, are always surprised when they hear a voice with a pronounced German accent on the radio or in the ward for the first time. Thomas initially considered the vest presented by his colleagues to be a prank, since striped clothes are not used in the army in Germany, but are given to prisoners.
— Many people in Germany share my views. But the problem comes from politicians, imposed from America. Children in schools are taught that the abnormal is the norm. I don't accept it and I don't want to understand it. And I'm glad to be here, where I don't see all this. Once in Germany, I was sent to work at a gay pride parade, I endured for an hour, said I was sick, and went home — this is how Thomas describes the mood in his former country.
Thomas cannot go to Germany now: he faces imprisonment there. He emphasizes that German laws strictly prohibit citizens from serving in the armies of foreign countries. At the same time, according to him, such restrictions for some reason do not apply to Germans who go to serve in the Ukrainian army.
— I understand why this war started. And I don't understand why some Germans are going to fight for Ukraine. It is forbidden in Germany. I signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces, and now I'm a terrorist in Germany. However, they are told that going to Ukraine is normal and there are no problems. I see them on duty, but only in black bags. I think it's their choice. Why did they decide to take the wrong side? These are young people who listened to propaganda, maybe they wanted to make a lot of money, but they didn't understand what was really going on here, says Thomas.
— I have a Russian passport. I don't want to go back, why? Russia is a huge and beautiful country, I don't need Germany," the military medic sums up.
Colleagues note that Thomas is an excellent professional who quickly became part of the team. In addition to him, military medical personnel and mobilized specialists from different regions of the country serve in the medical battalion. Thomas says that the fraternal atmosphere in the multinational unit is one of the main reasons he feels at home.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
