Yana Zinkevych, a Member of Parliament from the “European Solidarity” faction, volunteer medic, and founder of the “Hospitallers” Medical Volunteer Battalion, stated during her speech in the Verkhovna Rada that the information attack on the battalion is a dangerous precedent of hybrid warfare against Ukraine.
“I stand here today not only as a Member of Parliament but primarily as the commander of a volunteer battalion that has been saving lives on the frontline for 12 years. I am addressing you because the situation surrounding the ‘Hospitallers’ is not just a social media discussion. It is a dangerous precedent of an attack on Ukraine’s volunteers and combat volunteers amid such a brutal war,” Zinkevych said.
“Let me clarify immediately: I am not using this podium for personal purposes. My presence here is a politician’s duty to protect the trust in the volunteer and combat volunteer movement, which is the foundation of our defense. On X (formerly Twitter) and other social networks, the discussion regarding our reporting was artificially steered toward contempt and groundless accusations with clear signs of coordination: thousands of bots pick up internal disputes, turning them into fuel for Russian propaganda,” the MP warned.
“The enemy’s goal is obvious – to demoralize those who donate and to make Ukrainians and Western partners doubt every hryvnia that goes toward saving soldiers. The ‘Hospitallers’ Foundation operates strictly within the law. We submit tax, statistical, and financial reports in full,” Yana Zinkevych emphasized.
“Recently, our team processed and provided payment documents totaling 22 million UAH within 72 hours,” the founder of the volunteer medic battalion reported.
“I want to explain for those unfamiliar with the specifics of wartime volunteering: redacting certain data in payment documents serves to protect sensitive information. Our contractors are individuals and companies providing for the front under critical conditions. Disclosing their details without their consent is a direct threat to their safety and disrupts future supplies. We choose the safety of people over satisfying the curiosity of anonymous accounts,” Zinkevych said.
“I emphasize: my team and I stand for transparency. Journalists have the right to ask questions. However, we categorically condemn hate speech and threats against anyone. We also call on the media community to adhere to professional ethics: a request for information should not begin with a public accusation,” Zinkevych believes.
“I am here to defend my honest reputation and the honor of the battalion, of those people who are volunteers and who, instead of receiving financial benefits, contribute their own resources. If we allow the groundless destruction of a unit’s reputation through emotional posts without fact-checking, we will lose the information war,” Zinkevych stated.
“We do everything according to the law. I want to thank every ‘Hospitaller’ currently on the front lines evacuating the wounded,” Yana Zinkevych concluded.