During the acute phase of the war, Russia systematically destroys and damages Ukraine’s medical infrastructure, leaving thousands of Ukrainians without proper assistance
According to the latest data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, the number of destroyed and damaged healthcare facilities has already exceeded 2,300. This includes over two and a half thousand medical institutions that have fallen victim to Russian shelling and attacks since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to updated statistics from the Ministry of Health, 2,020 of these damaged facilities have partial damages, while 305 healthcare institutions have been completely destroyed. The regions most affected by Russian aggression are Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. These areas have repeatedly become epicenters of hostilities and systematic shelling, destroying hospitals, clinics, maternity hospitals, and other health care establishments. Specifically, as part of this large-scale campaign of destruction, the enemy intentionally targets emergency medical services. According to the Ministry of Health, since the beginning of the full-scale war, 116 ambulances have been damaged, 274 ambulances have been destroyed, and another 80 have been seized by occupation forces. As a result, the emergency medical system is currently under significant threat, complicating the evacuation of the wounded and the provision of urgent aid in hot spots. Despite these severe wartime conditions, Ukrainian specialists and international partners are doing everything possible to restore damaged infrastructure. According to the Ministry of Health, more than seven hundred medical facilities have been fully restored, and another 312 partially repaired. These include vital healthcare establishments such as hospitals, primary care centers, and hospitals in frontline regions. Currently, over a thousand medical institutions in Ukraine are back in operation and once again able to accept patients, providing critically needed medical services during these difficult times. It is also important to recall that as early as August 2024, the World Health Organization confirmed the scale of attacks on Ukraine’s medical system. According to these data, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, 1,940 attacks on healthcare objects have been recorded across the country. This demonstrates a systematic aggression against Ukraine’s healthcare system, creating additional challenges for survival and rapid response to the urgent needs of the Ukrainian people during the war.