Abstract:The war taking place on Ukrainian territory is embedded with an existing military and civilian medical structure which has been rapidly reorganised to meet wartime demands. Bearing the brunt are Military Medical Clinical Centres (MMCCs) and civilian hospitals in the south-eastern and north-eastern regions of Ukraine. Once stabilised, patients are transferred to medical facilities in the central and western parts of the country, distant from the battle lines. In this way, patients are directed evenly to hospitals prepared and specialised for treating combat trauma. In the first months of the war, an analysis of the nature of injuries identified priorities for military medicine, this included otolaryngology. Russian troops fired up to 60 000 artillery shells daily. The number of injuries from mines, drones and other explosive devices has also increased significantly, compared with 2014–2021, when the intensity of warfare was lower. According to hospital statistics, since February 2022 to April 2022, ear injuries accounted for 8.9% of all combat injuries treated at MMCCs. Among patients in the ENT department (ear, nose and throat department), 90% had ear trauma; of these, 54% had a perforated tympanic membrane. In 2022, the number of patients with ear trauma increased 32-fold compared with 2020. Ear microsurgery centres have been established at two MMCCs close to the front line, to increase capacity for ear surgery. This has meant additional training for military doctors, the involvement of volunteer doctors with experience in ear surgery and the provision of additional diagnostic and surgical equipment.