MAKIIVKA, Ukraine—A few miles from the frontvline of the brutal war in Ukraine, Olga Zaitsova, 31, turns to us in the back of the car to remind everyone that this mission is about precision and speed. The longer the evacuation takes, the higher the risk that the Russians will attack before we can liberate a badly injured 79-year-old man.
The Russian positions are only 900 yards from the village of Makiivka in the Luhansk region. The car drives along bumpy roads without much cover towards the village, which has been the site of relentless fighting, while Zaitsova listens—with her window down—for signs that violence will take hold once again.
Zaitsova, who covers her blonde hair under a scarf and the safety of a battle helmet, leaves her smiling and cheerful attitude behind as we move deep into the war zone. She is one of the only people brave—or foolhardy—enough to carry out evacuation operations this close to the front line, and she knows that there is no room for mistakes.
Source: This Woman Is Staging Ukraine’s Most Daring Rescue Operations
