Female Ukraine war paramedic, 25, killed by Putin’s forces left poignant letter telling her grieving brother: ‘Only the brave have happiness’

A female Ukrainian war paramedic killed by Putin’s forces left a poignant letter to her grieving brother just before she died.

In the extraordinary posthumous letter, Iryna Tsybukh, 25, wrote, “For only the brave are lucky, and it is better to die running than to live rotting.”

The fearless paramedic was tragically killed this week during shelling by Vladimir Putin‘s invading army.

The brave woman had risked her life since the start of the conflict more than two years ago, rescuing countless wounded soldiers and providing them with emergency first aid.

She publicized her work and inspired others to follow her into the war zone to fight Putin’s forces.

Fearless paramedic Iryna Tsybukh, 25, wrote a moving letter to her 18-year-old brother just before she died

The war paramedic had been on the battlefield since the conflict began more than two years ago, but was killed by Russian shelling earlier this week

In an intensely moving letter she wrote: ‘To have the power to be a free person, you must be brave.

“For only the brave are lucky, and it is better to die running than to live rotting.”

Praised this week for her inspiring work by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, she urged her compatriots: “Be worthy of the exploits of our heroes, do not be sad, be courageous.”

Iryna wrote the heartbreaking letter to her younger brother Yuri just over a year ago and the 18-year-old has now released it following her death on Wednesday, May 29.

She wrote, “The 5th Crew and I are working 80th Brigade reconnaissance, Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’ is playing in the background, and I [realise] there have been so many opportunities to die this year, so I decided to write a posthumous letter’.

She gave her reflections on life and also death, which she saw all around her.

‘It is sad that we live so weakly, dependent on the social approval of life, that only death allows us to live in absolute freedom.

“The problem, however, is that life is over and this freedom no longer has any meaning.”

The Ukrainian fighter wrote: “To have the strength to be a free man, you must be brave.” in the powerful letter only now revealed by her younger brother

The brave paramedic made it clear in her letters that she was proud of her work and wanted to inspire others to resist Russian expansion into Ukraine

Iryna said in her posthumous missive: ‘I especially want to thank myself, my parents, brother, family and friends, thank you for allowing me to be free and live the life I want.

“A large-scale war forced me to stop being a slave to fear.”

She made it clear that she was “doing what I wanted” by opposing Russian expansion into Ukraine.

‘I don’t feel sorry for my death, because I’m finally living the life I want…’

‘Today everything is behind me, my life is over and it was important for me to go through it with dignity: to be an honest, kind and loving person.

“Today we work for heroes and this is a good opportunity to reaffirm our values ​​- to really be that person.” she wrote.

She told her brother Yuri: ‘We loved each other, we were great brother and sister, they were good times.

“Let these memories warm you, motivate you, but not upset you in any way.

“To have the power to be a free man, you must be brave.”

Separately, she mourned what she could never have because of Putin’s invasion.

‘I want children. I want a house. “I want to plant tomatoes… but ending the war is the most important thing,” she said.

‘War is the worst place I have ever been, but it gives access to real life, to a world of real independence – it marks the knowledge of the fleetingness of existence.’

In a video she said: ‘Courage is when you are afraid, but you have something more than fear, something more important.

“And you’re willing to die for it, and you’re willing to live for it.

‘You know what’s really hard in war?

‘When your mother calls you from her basement, because Lviv is under fire and you are risking your life.

‘But your mother is in Lviv [western Ukraine]far from the front line with my brother and father, grandmother, relatives.

‘I realize that they are not protected either.

‘I’m so angry that Russia reaches so far.

‘I’m so angry that I can’t protect them.

‘Even though I’m at the front, I do everything I can to make this happen [Russian] scum of the advance.

‘And yet I don’t do enough, because [my family] is unprotected and in danger.’

Zelensky greeted the paramedic in a late-night speech this week.

“Iryna Tsybukh, a combat medic from the Hospitallers Medical Battalion, was killed in the Kharkov region,” he said.

“She was one of those who not only defended the country, but also worked tirelessly to encourage others to join, train and learn how to be effective.

“She was deeply involved in frontline medicine, honoring our warriors and remembering the achievements of the Ukrainians.”

Zelenskiy expressed his condolences “to all comrades and friends of Iryna, her loved ones, to everyone who knew her and she inspired to fight for Ukraine and achieve results for Ukraine.”

“It is very important that her work – and the efforts of all our fallen heroes – continues….”