In Lviv, the Ukrainian mobile app-simulator LifesaverSIM has been presented. It teaches first aid and tactical medicine in the format of an interactive game. In 2025, this project became one of the winners of the city’s support programme for mil-tech developers and received grant funding of UAH 2 million from Lviv City Council for the implementation and development of the platform.
LifesaverSIM models realistic rescue scenarios and allows users to practise action algorithms in critical situations directly from their smartphone. Training is based on the international TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) protocols and the MARCH algorithm, which are used to provide care to the wounded in combat conditions.
The user can assess the condition of the casualty, determine the sequence of actions, apply a tourniquet, pack wounds, control the airway and make decisions within a limited time. Every step in the simulator, including mistakes, is recorded in a personal “journal” with explanations and feedback to help consolidate the material.
The platform is already used by service personnel of Ukraine’s Defence Forces, including fighters of the Azov Brigade and the 3rd Army Corps, by instructors and by civilian users, including school pupils. Anyone who wishes to acquire basic life-saving skills has access to the training.
LifesaverSIM co-founder Olesia Diachyshyn explains that the team focused specifically on the mobile format, since almost every soldier has a smartphone, whereas access to computers or VR devices is much more limited. In this way, the app enables people to learn anywhere and at any time, and makes knowledge of tactical medicine accessible to a wide audience.
Lviv City Council stresses that supporting such projects is an investment not only in local innovation and education, but also in the safety and resilience of society. According to Yuliia Trokhymchuk, Deputy Head of the Innovation and Business Support Division of the LCC Economic Department, all members of the commission unanimously backed LifesaverSIM at the selection stage, and the team’s results confirm the promise of the development.
The official also recalled that there are currently four grant programmes for businesses operating in Lviv, one of which is specifically aimed at supporting innovative mil-tech solutions. It was under this programme that LifesaverSIM received funding to bring the idea to life.
An independent strand of the team’s work is education. Thanks to its digital format, LifesaverSIM can become an additional tool for teaching first aid to young people and to anyone who wants to acquire vital skills. Olesia Mandziuk, Head of the Education Development Office of the LCC Department of Education and Culture, believes that modern tools that make learning clear and accessible should be actively integrated into the educational process.
The practical benefits of the app are also recognised by military instructors. A representative of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade Azov, Druh Marun, emphasises that LifesaverSIM does not replace the instructor, but makes it possible to prepare people for practical sessions by focusing on real-life scenarios and correcting specific mistakes, which significantly saves time and allows larger numbers of trainees to be taught.
The military underline that in the new academic year around 460,000 students are to undergo basic training within the system of national resistance. Under these conditions, digital tools that make it possible to scale up training without losing quality become particularly important.
During the presentation, the launch of the New Generation Instructors’ School was also announced. LifesaverSIM is implementing it together with partners — the 12th Special Purpose Brigade Azov, the MriiDii Education Centre and the NGO Centre for Innovative Training. The training will run from 25 June to 9 July.
Within the School, participants will be trained not only to work with the app, but also in modern approaches to teaching tactical medicine, as well as the basics of pedagogy and leadership. The aim of the project is to develop a common standard for training instructors for military-patriotic education centres and to strengthen their capacity to teach large groups of pupils effectively.
A total of 19 instructors from Lviv training centres, who already have experience of working with pupils and will be deepening their skills, will complete the School’s programme. The project is being implemented with the support of patrons and socially responsible local businesses.
In 2025, Lviv City Council introduced for the first time a financial support programme for developers of mil-tech solutions. Following the selection process, the LifesaverSIM mobile simulator became one of the winners and received UAH 2 million in grant funding from the city. Lviv City Council highlights this as an example of how local innovation can respond to contemporary challenges: helping the military to improve their skills and civilians to acquire knowledge that can potentially save lives.