“This is a country worth dying for”: last letter of fallen medic Mulkevych revealed

Source: Oleksandra Mulkevych/Facebook

The final letter by Hospitallers battalion paramedic Oleksandra “Mike” Mulkevych surfaced on social media on Friday.

In her final message released after 19-year-old woman died in a drone attack on August 14, she wrote,

“If it comes to the point where this needs to be read, know this: there is no greater honor for a warrior than to die in battle.”

Mulkevych saw this  warrior spirit as part of Ukrainians’ character—some fight on the battlefield, others battle corruption or seek justice. “We are a fierce and freedom-loving nation,” she wrote.

The paramedic’s final words reflect her love of Ukraine:

“I was fortunate to be born in the greatest country in the world—Ukraine, and it is a country worth dying for. But even more, it is a country worth living for. To live so fully that it feels like multiple lifetimes. To raise young Ukrainians with love for the world, in strength and resilience. To show them the beauty of Karadag, the salt mines of Donbas, the slag heaps, the protected spits, the estuaries, the largest caves, and the red rue.”

Oleksandra Mulkevych will be laid to rest in Kyiv on August 17.

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