Solidarity, support and supply

Abstract

On 24 February 2022, the world witnessed the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, triggering one of the largest exoduses of refugees (estimated to be 4.5 million), and a human catastrophe in terms of blast and ballistic injuries, among soldiers and civilians alike. The impact of this conflict has affected every one of us, especially in Europe. On the day of invasion, we said goodbye to our Ukrainian hand colleagues at the Federation of Societies of Surgery of the Hand (FESSH) Academy as they returned home to their families, and shortly after, FESSH issued a statement to show support for all victims in the tragedy centred around the three ‘S’s: Solidarity, Support and Supply. Our colleagues in Ukraine are currently treating huge numbers of gunshot and blast injuries, often in difficult circumstances, and in some cases at considerable personal risk. Many became experienced in the management of these injuries due to ongoing conflict in various regions, but some have less experience and are struggling with unfamiliar injuries. To provide support, FESSH and the British Society of Surgery for the Hand (BSSH) have set up a weekly webinar programme with lectures on the fundamentals of managing combat injuries, drawing on the experience of our colleagues in the military, and case discussions presented by our Ukrainian colleagues (Figure 1). In addition, the Journal has invited a two-part article addressing the contemporary management of combat injuries, including lessons learned from the United Kingdom (UK) National Centre in Birmingham. These will be made available online and translated into the Ukrainian language. The Editorial team have selected a series of relevant articles from the Journal and our publisher, SAGE, has kindly made these available for open access. It is hoped that these efforts by FESSH, BSSH and the Journal will play a part, no matter how small, in supporting our international colleagues. Sadly, it seems increasingly unlikely that our colleagues will be able to join us for the International