About medical assistance

No injury should leave service members alone with the system.

Azov Care’s Medical Department ensures continuous support for service members from the moment of injury or return from captivity to the maximum level of recovery possible. We coordinate treatment, rehabilitation, prosthetic care, and collaboration between all the involved specialists, creating a holistic recovery pathway for each individual.

At the core of AZOV.Care activities stands a team of doctors, medical supervisors, case managers, rehabilitation physicians, and other specialists who guide service members during each stage of their pathway. Case managers are the ones who ensure the continuity of the process, helping coordinate medical decisions, interaction between healthcare facilities, and other areas of support.

AZOV.Care’s mission goes beyond treating the consequences of trauma. We work to preserve an individual’s health, functionality, dignity, and future, helping them return to their service, families, and active life.

Comprehensive medical care involves a number of processes based on sustainable approaches to caring for injured service members, which are continuously refined based on accumulated experience, patients’ needs, and cutting-edge treatment and rehabilitation practices.

Principles of Medical Assistance

Within the AZOV.Care system, medical care is provided based on the principles of the Human Capital Preservation System in Mobilization (HCPS-M), where the main goal is not only to treat trauma but also to preserve service members’ human potential, functionality, and quality of life.

Continuity

From the moment of injury or return from captivity until complete recovery, our service members remain within a single AZOV.Care system. All decisions are made with consideration of the complete picture of treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term recovery goals, ensuring consistency and quality of care at every stage.

Professionalism

Every medical decision is made with the involvement of highly specialized experts. AZOV.Care engages doctors, rehabilitation physicians, and other subject matter experts depending on the nature of the trauma to ensure the best available recovery solutions for service members.

Evidence-based approach

All of AZOV.Care’s activities are based exclusively on the principles of evidence-based medicine. We support the use of modern clinical practices and treatment and rehabilitation methods whose effectiveness has been proven through research and international expertise.

Focus on functionality

AZOV.Care does not focus solely on stabilizing an individual’s condition or completing treatment. Instead, we strive to achieve the highest possible level of functional recovery. We measure success by service members’ ability to return to active life, military service, professional activities, their families, and society.

Partnership and coordination

Effective recovery cannot be achieved through the efforts of a single organization. The AZOV.Care team brings together government institutions, healthcare facilities, rehabilitation centers, non-governmental organizations, charitable foundations, businesses, and international partners into a unified support network, where every participant works toward the common goal of preserving Ukraine’s human capital.

Scalability and multiplication

AZOV.Care is developing a model that can be implemented in other military units and government systems. Our task goes beyond helping individual service members, focusing on creating solutions capable of strengthening Ukraine’s national system for supporting its defenders.

Human-oriented system

Every service member has a unique story, experience, goals, and needs. This is why the AZOV.Care system focuses on people rather than processes. We strive not only to treat the consequences of war but also to help people regain control of their lives and their future.

At a certain point, a wounded service member is transferred from the unit to rear services specialists. However, the Azov Brigade continues to care for its fighters even after they leave the unit, monitoring their treatment process and providing guidance and support.

Medical care stages and the recovery pathway for injured service members:

1. Treatment

2. Rehabilitation

3. Return to duty or civilian life

4. Prosthetic care

What medical assistance involves

Organizing timely diagnostics and treatment

Ensuring access to required medications and medical devices

Consultations with specialized doctors and narrow-profile specialists

Coordinating rehabilitation, prosthetic care, and functional recovery

Providing support for treatment and rehabilitation abroad

Coordinating with healthcare facilities, charitable foundations, and non-governmental organizations

Providing basic necessities during treatment and recovery

Providing communication devices to help service members stay connected with their families and the AZOV.Care team throughout all stages of rehabilitation

The medical assistance team

Case manager

The person responsible for guiding service members throughout their recovery pathway after injury or release from captivity. AZOV.Care’s case managers are the primary points of contact for any questions, concerns, or needs that arise during treatment and rehabilitation.

“The first meeting with an injured service member at the hospital is the most important moment for me. At this point, the fighters are often disoriented, exhausted, and uncertain about their future. This is why it’s extremely important to give them a sense of support. The fighters should know they’re not alone, that AZOV.Care is there for them and will support them through every stage of treatment. At this stage, one of our key tasks is to do everything we can to ensure the fighters receive treatment as close to their homes and loved ones as possible.”

Sopia “Sontse” Selehei
Eastern Region Case Manager

A case manager’s work begins with identifying the fighter’s needs and developing an individual support plan.

Helping organize treatment, rehabilitation, and access to necessary services.
Coordinating interaction among doctors, rehabilitation physicians, government institutions, and other partners.
Ensuring service members receive all the care they need on time and are not left alone with the challenges that arise throughout their recovery.

“Being a case manager means supporting wounded fighters at every stage of their treatment and rehabilitation. It’s about communication, support, collaboration, humanity, an individualized approach, trust, and teamwork. The work of a case manager is based on recognizing people as the highest value. Every injured Azov fighter has the right to care and assistance throughout the recovery process. It is our direct duty to ensure this.”

Kateryna “Astra” Matseliuk
Senior Central Region Case Manager

Підготовка під час БКБП. етап інструктора з тактичної медицини

Допомога на полі бою починається з тебе або з твого побратима. А наші інструктори докладуть зусиль, щоб навчити всьому необхідному для порятунку життя. Саме тому на медицину в «Азові» відводиться вдвічі більше навчальних годин, ніж у більшості навчальних центрів Сил оборони. Інструкторська група аналізує характер бойових дій і постійно редагує навчальну програму, щоб наблизити її до реалій війни, а не до книжкових принципів, які не мають нічого спільного із дійсністю.

Евакуація з передових позицій. Етап бойового медика

Бойові медики – перші медичні співробітники, які бачать пораненого. Саме тому на їхніх плечах велика відповідальність. Бойові медики «Азову» навчені всім навичкам згідно міжнародних настанов. Крім того, вони змінюють ці настанови своєю діяльністю і кожен день розробляють нові підходи у бойовій медицині.

Евакуація з передових позицій. Етап медика евакуаційного відділення

Медична евакуація – це відповідальний та складний етап надання медичної допомоги. Доводиться надавати допомогу пораненому під час пересування транспортом, який знаходиться під загрозою ворожого обстрілу. Наші медики евакуації – сміливі професіонали, які постійно вдосконалюють свої знання. Наш евакуаційний транспорт – взірець всебічної комплектації для порятунку життя.

Стабілізаційний пункт: Етап лікарів медичної роти

Побудувати справжнє відділення інтенсивної хірургії недалеко від лінії бойового зіткнення? Впораємось за декілька днів! Лікарі стабілізаційного пункту – профі, які поєднують військовий та цивільний досвід для того, щоб на межі двох реальностей створити професійний реанімаційний юніт.

Медичний супровід подальших етапів лікування: Етап військовослужбовців служби супроводу

В якийсь момент поранений переходить з рук підрозділу до рук спеціалістів тилових служб. Навіть тоді, коли боєць знаходиться за межами підрозділу, «Азов» опікується ним та слідкує за процесом його лікування, направляючи та підтримуючи.

Medical service administration

Supporting service members also involves a team that collects and analyzes their needs and makes proper referrals at various stages of recovery.

The team includes:

Administrators;
Material support coordinators;
Dental care coordinators;
Rehabilitation coordinators;
Remote communication coordinators;
Referral coordinators.

They help find timely solutions, engage specialized experts, and coordinate interactions among service members, healthcare facilities, partners, and other areas of support.

Providing continuous support to released and wounded servicemen to accelerate their recovery

LEARN MORE

FAQ

What is the Care Service of the 12th Azov Brigade?

AZOV.Care is a non-governmental organization and part of the Medical Service of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine. Its primary function is to provide continuous support and comprehensive care for the brigade’s service members following injury or release from captivity, with an emphasis on long-term recovery, preserving functionality, and returning to active life.

Azov became the first brigade to implement the necessary changes to its organizational structure. It was a matter of principle to logically position the Care Service within the brigade’s organizational framework, which is why it became part of Azov’s Medical Service. This allows us to ensure continuity of care throughout every stage of a service member’s treatment, rehabilitation, recovery, and reintegration. This approach creates a unified care system focused not only on treating trauma, but also on preserving human potential, professional expertise, and service members’ roles in society.

Is AZOV.Care the patronage service of the Azov Brigade?

Unlike patronage services, the 12th Azov Brigade’s Care Service covers a much broader range of support for Azov fighters who have sustained injuries or been released from captivity. Our fighters do not require "patronage"; instead, they need to learn to live independently with their new experiences. The Care Service’s mission is to help fighters focus on their recovery while the AZOV.Care team addresses other challenges and provides support.
For this reason, the unit is more accurately described as a care service rather than a patronage service.

What does AZOV.Care do?

The primary mission of the Care Service is to provide continuous support and comprehensive care for brigade service members who have sustained injuries or been released from captivity. AZOV.Care coordinates treatment and rehabilitation, supports service members’ physical and mental health, provides medical assistance to fighters released from captivity, and helps the brigade’s veterans with readaptation, resocialization, and professional reintegration.

AZOV.Care is a unique system that provides a complete cycle of care for service members — from the moment of injury or release from captivity through functional recovery, return to active life, and reintegration into society. The service brings together medical, psychological, social, and reintegration support within a single care system aimed not only at treating the consequences of trauma, but also at preserving long-term human potential, professional experience, and quality of life.

At the heart of AZOV.Care’s approach is the understanding that fighters with injuries, as well as those released from captivity, need more than fragmented assistance. They require continuous, comprehensive recovery, in which every stage — treatment, rehabilitation, psychological support, training, and adaptation — is part of a unified process focused on restoring functionality and enabling full participation in society.

When and why was AZOV.Care created?

The AZOV.Care service was established in September 2024 in response to a challenge faced by every military during an ongoing war: how to preserve its most valuable asset — its people.

The key catalyst for the establishment of the Care Service was the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 948, "On Certain Matters Relevant to the Introduction of Care Services for Military Personnel, Civil Protection Service Personnel and Officials, Police Officers, and Their Families," adopted on August 20, 2024.

AZOV.Care became the first — and one of the most comprehensive — services of its kind within the National Guard of Ukraine.

Its work began by supporting Azov service members released from Russian captivity on August 24, 2024. Since then, we have continuously expanded the care system, broadened our areas of support, and developed a network of partners to provide service members with assistance at every recovery stage — from treatment and rehabilitation to their return to active life.

Several months after the service was established, the AZOV.Care non-governmental organization was founded to develop partnerships and exploit additional opportunities for the long-term support of service members and former prisoners of war.

We firmly believe that people are not a resource, but the nation's most valuable asset. Supporting service members' recovery is not only about caring for individuals — it is about preserving the strength of the unit, strengthening society's resilience, and securing Ukraine's future.

Who can contact the Care Service of the 12th Azov Brigade?

1. Service members of the 12th Azov Brigade who have sustained injuries or been released from captivity.
Brigade service members can rely on support throughout every stage of treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. The Care Service helps coordinate medical treatment, rehabilitation, prosthetic care, psychological support, education, and career guidance. We are committed to making the recovery process as effective, systematic, and humane as possible.

2. Active-duty service members of the 12th Azov Brigade.
Active-duty service members can contact the Care Service for support with treatment for physical illnesses, psychological and psychiatric care, rehabilitation, education, leisure activities, and professional development. We strive to ensure our service members have access to high-quality care and support throughout both active service and recovery.

3. Veterans of the 12th Azov Brigade.
We work with educational programs and partner organizations to support our veterans as they transition to civilian life. We provide educational opportunities, retraining, employment assistance, psychological support, and adaptive sports programs. We also place a strong emphasis on veterans' social integration and active participation in civilian society.

4. Families of service members of the 12th Azov Brigade.
Spouses, children, and parents of service members may apply for psychological support, learning assistance, and participation in support groups. We understand how difficult it is to wait for a loved one while coping with the challenges of wartime, and we strive to make that journey less lonely and more supportive.

Comprehensive support for service members of the 12th Azov Brigade throughout their journey from injury or release from captivity to their return to active life.