Logan man returns from a six-month stint volunteering as a medical trainer in Ukraine

The Cedar Grove man, who prefers to go by 'AK', is back home in Logan after spending more than six months in the war-torn country and says he is already planning a return trip.

AK sold most of his possessions to fund his trip, and shortly after arriving joined Ukrainian non-governmental organisation U-Help to deliver crash-courses in trauma care and distribute food aid.

His journey took him from the relative safety of Kyiv to cities on the front line like Yampil' in the contested Donetsk Oblast.

"The desperation and the humanitarian crisis there was palpable," AK said.

"Contrary to Russian propaganda, these people were not sad to see the Russians leave. It was quite grim."

The volunteer said he and his group only spent a short amount of time in the region as the Ukrainians "don't need war tourists", but what he saw of the aftermath of major battles was harrowing.

This included towns inhabited by young children and the elderly with very few military-aged men and women present - if at all - and towns that were almost completely reduced to rubble.

AK said constant vigilance was a necessity, as even in Kyiv missile alerts were a daily occurrence, which intensified after Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure like the Kerch Strait Bridge in Crimea.

"At the start of my trauma course I would say 'welcome to a war zone'," he said.

"It doesn't matter where you are in Ukraine, Russia can reach out and touch you with its long-range artillery, missiles, drones and airstrikes. No place is safe.

"I wasn't doing clinical work but I was prepared if the situation arose...if I was going and buying groceries or going to a doctor's appointment, I'd carry what's called an IFAK - an Individual First Aid Kit."

While he was in the country AK distributed several IFAKs and other medical equipment to those in need, which he had purchased thanks to a GoFundMe campaign organised by his sister.

"I spent about $22,000 of my own money, and a good few grand I managed to raise on GoFundMe just from amazing friends and family, as well as some people who donated anonymously," AK said.

"I'm so thankful for that, without that extra $50 that would have been one IFAK less, or one tourniquet less."

AK said he also volunteered at a factory making haemostatic bandages, which help stop bleeding in wounds where tourniquets are unusable.

The Australian volunteer said his time in the country was transformational, as he had returned home with a new perspective on life and hardship.

"My barometer of what is a problem, what's worth getting upset about, has been reset," AK said.

"It's a bit glib to talk about First World problems, there are plenty of problems in the First World, but I've seen people that were quite literally starving, and having artillery dropped on them.

"Sometimes we went without power for two days, which meant no water as well. I just counted myself lucky as I was living in relative luxury...when the power was on, I could still go to the grocery store. I could still go and get a latte."

It was not all hardship, however, as AK said he formed strong relationships with the foreign and Ukrainian volunteers he worked with, some closer than others.

Unexpectedly, AK met "a lovely girl" while in Ukraine, and said she served as strong motivation for him to return, as did his sense of duty to the country.

"I made a lot of friends over there, as they say serving with people during war often brings out the best in people," AK said.

"It's going to be extraordinarily difficult for me to find work in Ukraine that's paid. I can work with a volunteer organisation like MSF or the Red Cross, but that's all unpaid and I essentially sold everything I had to go over.

"The drive is to continue what I'm doing, at least until the war's over, but I also feel like I've got a potential new life over there."

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AK said his return to Ukraine depended on securing steady work in Europe and a long-term Ukrainian visa, however he would return as soon as possible.

The volunteer also urged Australians to keep the conflict in mind, and said his time back home had lent him an even clearer perspective.

"Don't forget it's still happening and people are still suffering," AK said.

"People get bored of things very quickly, but if the media keeps this in the public eye I think it's a good thing.

"I felt guilty on New Year's Eve, I was next to the Brisbane River watching the fireworks on the Story Bridge whereas the fireworks that my friends in Kyiv were seeing was anti-aircraft fire and rockets. That's quite a juxtaposition."