Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) — Marina lost her spleen and has a punctured lung. She was attached to a rebel group as a combat medic, and was hurt during the fighting, she told CNN from her hospital bed.

She read a tousled book in an almost empty ward in Donetsk’s Kalinin hospital. Her chest drained blood and other fluids to a bottle on the floor.

Her nom-de-guerre is Tigger, inspired by Winnie the Pooh’s feline friend. She chose not to reveal her surname for safety reasons, but her self-introduction was revealing.

“I’m from Russia, from Kuban, I’m 23 years old, I used to work at a rescue organization and I got here because I couldn’t stay out of the situation,” Marina said.

Marina isn’t Ukrainian, she crossed a border to join the fight rarely admitted by rebel forces. Help for Donetsk Peoples’ Republic, the formal name of the rebels, comes from Russia in many forms, and this combat medic was another example.

Now, she spends her days in hospital, receiving care from doctors who are as concerned about their neutrality as they are about their patients.

In this war-torn region, every day is a struggle. Read More.