Lithuanian journalist and volunteer Mindaugas Jonušas will join the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a volunteer paramedic. He made the decision following the death of Iryna ‘Cheka’ Tsybukh, a paramedic of the Hospitallers volunteer battalion.

“I have decided to become a volunteer medic. There is no more ‘Cheka’ died – now it’s my turn. The death of this Heroine prompted me to mobilize. I do not romanticize the front, but I just want to try to do everything in my power to ensure that Ukraine lives. For me, the front does not equate to just death. Service, in my understanding, means saving every Ukrainian life. And also – giving the relatives of the soldiers the opportunity to see the soldier alive, communicate with him, see his successes in rehabilitation, etc.,” Jonušas said on his social media.

Many Ukrainian defenders survive thanks to volunteers who save their lives, says the volunteer. “I’ll tell you a secret, I also, like ‘Cheka,’ would like to create a family, have children, build a home, and grow tomatoes. For me, this would be a symbolic reminder of this brave combat medic,” added Jonušas.

Until now, the Lithuanian has been volunteering and helping to raise money for the Ukrainian army. Recently, he also became an ambassador for the RehabCenter rehabilitation center.

Iryna ‘Cheka’ Tsybukh – a journalist and medic with the Hospitallers volunteer battalion – was killed in action on May 29 during a rotation at the Kharkiv front. She passed away just a few days before her 26th birthday on June 1. As a military paramedic, Iryna has been traveling to Donbas since 2015. Last year in April, Cheka wrote a posthumous letter, as “there have been so many close calls.”