Lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine

By the Danish Defence Command

Ukrainian medics and other medical personnel are in Denmark this Tuesday in February to exchange experiences with their Danish counterparts. Just a few days ago, many of them were working on the front line in Ukraine, treating wounded soldiers.

Four years of full-scale defensive war have given Ukraine invaluable knowledge about the modern battlefield — including how to treat and evacuate wounded soldiers under combat conditions.

Today, that knowledge was shared with Danish combat medics from the Army Logistic Regiment and military doctors from the Danish Armed Forces Medical Command.

“We are here to share experiences and learn from each other,” said Klaus Sørensen, Head of the Centre for Medical and Combat Service Support Training at the Danish Armed Forces Medical Command.

“Ukrainian medical personnel operating on the front line have gained extensive experience under extreme conditions and with complex combat injuries. That knowledge is valuable — also for Denmark.”

Around 15 combat medics from 2nd Medical Company of the Army Logistic Regiment, together with military doctors and medical specialists from the Danish Armed Forces Medical Command, took part in the meeting between Danish personnel and Ukrainian specialists.

The meeting forms part of a broader stay in Denmark for the Ukrainian personnel, organised by the NGO Repower.

Gathering operational experience from Ukraine

The Ukrainian personnel were invited to Denmark by Repower, a Ukrainian NGO focused on rehabilitation of Ukrainian medical personnel. In cooperation with the Danish NGO KOLO Nordic, the organisation conducts rehabilitation stays in Denmark.

These stays provide around 100 Ukrainian personnel with a 10–14 day respite from the front line, focusing on experience exchange, psychological tools, meditation and cultural activities.

At the same time, the programme also includes opportunities for the Ukrainian participants to share their operational experience with Danish colleagues.

The stay and the cooperation with the Danish Armed Forces are supported by the Danish Ministry of Defence with approximately DKK 2 million.

Since 2024, the Danish Armed Forces have cooperated with Repower — both to gather operational experience from Ukraine and to demonstrate support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s illegal war of aggression.

The war in Ukraine is the largest armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War and therefore represents an important source of operational lessons on modern warfare — including military medical support.

“Professional cooperation across national boundaries strengthens our operational readiness. Lessons from the modern battlefield on combat injuries and emergency treatment are directly relevant to the development of our own capabilities,” said Klaus Sørensen.

Continued Danish support for Ukraine

Denmark has supported the Ukrainian Armed Forces since the 1990s, and this support increased following Russia’s attacks on Crimea and the Donbas region in 2014.

Since Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Denmark and the Danish Armed Forces have provided extensive and continuous support to Ukraine’s defence.

This support has included donations of military equipment such as artillery systems, fighter aircraft, tanks, first aid equipment, a mobile hospital, anti-tank weapons and much more.

At the same time, the Danish Armed Forces have contributed to training Ukrainian personnel — including new soldiers in the United Kingdom, tank crews in Germany, and non-commissioned officers and pilots in Denmark.

During 2024 and 2025, the exchange of operational experience has increasingly become two-way.

While NATO countries continue to train Ukrainian personnel, representatives from the Danish Army, Air Force, Navy and the Danish Armed Forces Medical Command have also travelled to Ukraine to learn from the operational experience Ukrainian personnel have gained on and around the battlefield.