Focus magazine's "Ukrainian of the Year" ranking features paramedic Yulia "Taira" Paievska, who endured captivity in Russia.

Saving lives began for former designer and Aikido trainer "Taira" during the Maidan. When the first clashes erupted during the Revolution of Dignity, she assisted the injured and became a paramedic for Euromaidan. From 2014 to 2018, she conducted tactical medical training on the front lines in Donbas, leading a volunteer paramedic unit. Over the first five years of teaching tactical medicine, nearly 8,000 individuals completed her course, and her team saved around 500 soldiers. "Taira" personally rescued dozens of fighters in the Svetlodarsk direction in 2016 and near the village of Shyrokyne in 2020. In 2018, Paievska signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and headed the evacuation unit of the 61st Mobile Military Hospital in Mariupol.

After the onset of the full-scale invasion, on March 16, 2022, Russian occupiers captured Yulia while she was attempting to evacuate women and children from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia. The occupiers accused "Taira" under a "shooting" article, subjected her to moral pressure, and claimed she had a 1% chance of survival. She was held in a pre-trial detention center in Donetsk. Paievska spent three months in captivity before being released on June 17, 2022.

"During her three-month imprisonment, Ms. Paievska lived in a tiny cell with 22 other women, lost 9 kilograms, and endured torture and beatings. Kremlin propagandists falsely slandered her on the international stage as a 'fascist' and 'war criminal,' but they could not silence her. After her release, she actively advocates for Ukrainian democracy and independence both at home and abroad," reported the U.S. State Department.

"Just imagine this. Children, civilians, women, the elderly... were dying in my arms... I don’t know how one can forgive this (...) War is, you know, an insatiable b*tch: no matter how much you give it, it’s never enough. It constantly wants to drink. It drinks our blood. We must stop this."

Almost immediately after her release, Prince Harry called "Taira," who is a co-founder of the Invictus Games. Back in 2021, he had given "Taira" a chest camera to capture footage for a Netflix film about inspiring individuals. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she managed to document her work as a paramedic in Mariupol. Before her capture, she entrusted a flash drive containing recordings to a police officer, who passed it to Associated Press journalists. They smuggled it through 15 Russian checkpoints, and by May 2022, they published some of the footage.

Following her release from captivity, "Taira," along with civic activist Dana Yarova, established the charity fund "Ukrainian Fund 'Dream'." It supports 1,500 families of prisoners, deceased, and missing military personnel and civilians. In the same year, "Taira" participated in the Invictus Games, where she won two gold medals and one bronze.

"Taira" has also received several awards for her military and volunteer activities, including the state award "For Humanitarian Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation," the Order of the "People's Hero of Ukraine," the honorary "Badge of Honor," and the "Defender of the Fatherland" medal.

In 2022, she was included in the BBC's '100 Women' list, and in 2023, she received the international award for "Bravest Woman in the World" from the U.S. State Department.

In 2024, "Taira" spoke at the Munich Security Conference, where she emotionally urged the international community for more active support for Ukraine, particularly in terms of weapon provision. Her speech drew significant attention to the humanitarian and military challenges facing Ukraine.

Yulia Paievska continues to work as a public figure, actively supporting military personnel and volunteers. She frequently speaks about the traumas of war, noting that the entire country is currently experiencing PTSD. "Taira" advocates for the development of psychological assistance and the fight against Russian propaganda, which she views as one of the main tools of aggression. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining humanity even in the most challenging conditions. She continues to support volunteer initiatives and participates in events dedicated to the rehabilitation of those affected by the war.