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Mum-of-12 army medic shot dead while fighting on front line against Russia

Provided by Metro Olga Semidyanova, 48, was fatally injured during a battle near Donetsk on March 3 (Picture: Facebook)

Tributes have been paid to a Ukrainian army medic who died on the front line battling Russian troops.

Olga Semidyanova, 48, was fatally injured during a battle on the border between Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia in the south of Ukraine on March 3.

The mum-of-12 had served in the army since 2014, and it has been claimed she carried on fighting after much of her unit had been killed.

Her family believe she was shot in the stomach, but they have been unable to recover her body due to continued fighting in the area, leaving them distraught.

Her daughter, Julia told The Sun: ‘She saved the soldiers to the last.

‘We have photos from the place of death — but due to heavy fighting we still can’t bury my mother.’

Olga, who had the honorary title ‘Mother Heroine’ had 12 children, including six she had adopted from a local orphanage.

She lived in the city of Marhanets around 150 miles from where she was killed.

Provided by Metro Olga had served in the army since 2014 (Picture: Facebook/Sasha Semidyanova)

The title ‘Mother Heroine’ is given to women who have had more than five children.

Her daughters have led tributes to their mum online while members of the Ukrainian government have also paid their respects.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the country’s Interior Ministry, said: ‘She was slain in a confrontation with Russian thugs.

‘Even when she believed her regiment might not survive, she emphasised her desire to protect the country until the end. She is a national hero. She is a hero to me.’

Marina Ivanchenko said on Facebook: ‘This Ukrainian woman is truly a hero.’

Another user said: ‘RIP Olga Semidyanova, hero of Ukraine defender of Europe.’

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that an estimated 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Russia invaded on February 24, although the true number is not known.

The confirmed civilian death toll in Ukraine is 691 people with a further 1,143 wounded the United Nations Human Rights Office has said on Tuesday.

But the UN has said the true civilian figures are likely to be ‘considerably higher’ due to intense hostilities in some areas and reporting delays.

The fighting has led more than three million people to flee Ukraine, the UN estimates.