In the morning of July 8, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko arrived with a handful of her faction's deputies to donate blood for the Ukrainian soldiers wounded in the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine. She came to the city's blood donation center at 10 a.m., limping inside with the support of Ivan Kyrylenko, a parliament member.
Tymoshenko went though the usual checks
and procedures at the hospital: she presented her passport to
register as a donor, then donated the blood from her finger for
testing, and then donated some blood from her vein. It was not clear
how much she donated, but typically in Ukraine people donate between
200 and 400 grams of blood, depending on a person’s state of health
and other factors.
Despite going though the usual
procedure, she received the VIP treatment from the chief doctor of
the hospital, who accompanied her along the way. Moreover, several
dozen journalists with cameras were chasing Tymoshenko all over the
hospital, competing for the best shot.
Tymoshenko said that she decided to
donate blood to encourage others to do the same for the army, and
show that the procedure is quick and virtually painless. “The
Ukrainian military need our help,” she said at the briefing that
followed the medical procedures.
“I thank everyone who passes food,
helps with clothes, buys flak jackets and helmets, those who buy
water and pass it on to the frontlines. I thank every Ukrainian who
is not shying away from helping our army, our volunteers and all who
defend Ukraine. I think that everybody’s job is to help with whatever
we can.”
Tymoshenko looked tired when she left
the hospital. It was clear that her 2,5-year prison sentence,
followed by an intensive presidential campaign this spring took its
toll on her health.
