V. Voicehovskis: In case of invasion, all of Latvia becomes a 'zero zone'; everyone must know first aid
Associate professor Vladimirs Voicehovskis from RSU warns that Latvia has lived in a false sense of security and that survival in war will depend on people's ability to provide first aid, as drone warfare makes medical evacuation almost impossible.
Vladimirs Voicehovskis, an associate professor at Riga Stradiņš University who leads a military medicine course for future doctors, has given a critical assessment of Latvia's public preparedness for crisis situations. He states that for the past 30 years, people have lived under the illusion that NATO forces would arrive and save everyone in times of crisis.
Voicehovskis emphasizes that survival chances directly depend on how many people in society have pre-hospital care knowledge. These skills have become especially important given the experience of the war in Ukraine, where the drone revolution has significantly changed military medicine.
Continuous surveillance and drone attacks have made the evacuation of wounded from the front line nearly impossible, as medics and evacuation teams themselves quickly become targets. Consequently, first aid on the battlefield must be provided by soldiers themselves or nearby civilians.
