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Russia carried out more than 1,000 attacks on health care in Ukraine during the full-scale war

Since February 24, 2022, Russian troops have committed about 1,004 attacks on health care in Ukraine. 896 of them impacted medical facilities, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, they have resulted in at least 101 deaths and 139 injuries.

Civilian workers clean the debris of the destroyed maternity section of the Vilniansk hospital in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Photo: Celestino Arce / NurPhoto via Getty Images

“WHO condemns all acts of violence against healthcare. These attacks not only kill and maim but also deprive people of urgently needed care, endanger healthcare providers, and undermine health systems,” said WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris.

She also added that Russian attacks on Ukrainian healthcare workers, patients, transport, supplies, and health facilities are a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law.

“We call for an immediate cessation of all activities that endanger the lives of health care workers and patients or impede delivery of essential health services,” stated Harris.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the enemy has been constantly shelling Ukrainian medical facilities, endangering the lives of medical workers and patients. A maternity ward in Mariupol, a hospital in Rubizhne, the Luhansk region, a hospital maternity ward in Vilniansk, the Zaporizhzhia region, and many other medical establishments in different regions of Ukraine have suffered from Russian aggression.

Consequences of a Russian missile strike on medical facilities in Dnipro, the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Photo: Serhii Lysak, Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration

The most recent Russian crime against Ukrainian healthcare was recorded on May 26, 2023. That day, Russian terrorists hit a medical institution and a veterinary clinic in Dnipro, the Dnipropetrovsk region. The attack caused destruction and casualties among Ukrainian civilians.

On May 8, 2023, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reported about 177 medical facilities that were destroyed, and 1,256 more that were damaged due to Russian military aggression against Ukraine. The most significant losses were caused to the medical infrastructure of the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Chernihiv regions. At the same time, for more than 14 months of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, 237 medical establishments were completely restored, and 280 were partially restored.