"She was fearless"

Ukrainian army mourns the loss of German medic

Funeral service for Diana Wagner in Kiev(Bild: facebook.com/radiosvoboda.org)

Diana Wagner saved the lives of many soldiers in Ukraine. The 36-year-old German volunteered to join the Ukrainian army after Russia's invasion and has been deployed as a medic ever since. A rescue mission has now cost her her life.

According to a report on the news website oboz.ua, the 36-year-old, who went by the code name "Snake", rushed to the aid of comrades from Colombia in the eastern Ukrainian town of Svatove at the end of January when she herself was fatally wounded by a Russian attack. Two days ago, she was bid farewell by her family and numerous members of her unit, the 49th Infantry Battalion Karpatska Sitsch, in a Kiev church.

"She saved lives on the hottest front line"
At the funeral ceremony, her comrades were full of praise for Wagner, describing her as "extremely courageous and professional". "Diana saved soldiers on the hottest front line. She was fearless," one Facebook post read.

"Diana Wagner gained eternal life on the battlefield by saving wounded Colombian soldiers of the Ukrainian army (...) The Ukrainian nation will always remember you. We will not surrender!" a comrade also wrote on Facebook.

Waiting for Ukrainian citizenship
According to the report, Wagner had emigrated to Ukraine years before the outbreak of the war, she had loved Ukrainian culture and had also intended to become a citizen. The German spent the last two years at the front.