{"id":949702,"date":"2026-05-10T04:22:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T04:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/949702\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T04:22:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T04:22:16","slug":"ukraine-over-3000-attacks-on-healthcare-since-full-scale-russian-invasion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/949702\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine: Over 3,000 attacks on healthcare since full-scale Russian invasion"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDuring\u00a01,534 days\u00a0of war, Ukraine\u2019s healthcare system has experienced repeated attacks,\u201d\u00a0it\u00a0said<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every aspect of the system has been targeted<\/strong>, from primary healthcare\u00a0centres\u00a0to maternity hospitals, ambulance\u00a0teams\u00a0and pharmaceutical warehouses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis cannot be normalized\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some\u00a080 per cent of attacks affected outpatient clinics,\u00a0hospitals\u00a0and other care settings. They caused\u00a0immediate casualties,\u00a0but also\u00a0disruptions in service delivery, and damage to critical infrastructure,\u00a0ultimately eroding\u00a0the health system\u2019s capacity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Attacks on ambulances and other health vehicles accounted\u00a0for\u00a0roughly\u00a020\u00a0per cent.\u00a0Nearly a\u00a0third of incidents resulted in casualties<\/strong>,\u00a0making medical transport one of the highest-risk areas for injury and\u00a0death.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one of these attacks is a violation of international humanitarian law, and\u00a0every one\u00a0represents a patient who couldn\u2019t be reached, a\u00a0health worker in danger, a community left without care<\/strong>,\u201d said Dr Hans Kluge, WHO<\/a> Regional Director for Europe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis cannot be normalized. Under international humanitarian law, healthcare is protected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rising casualties, growing needs<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The assault on Ukraine\u2019s health infrastructure has significantly hampered\u00a0the ability of\u00a0medical personnel to deliver essential care, which\u00a0is taking place amid escalating needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some\u00a012.7 million people\u00a0nationwide\u00a0require\u00a0humanitarian\u00a0assistance<\/strong>, including 9.2 million who need health support, according to UN figures.\u00a0\u00a0Meanwhile,\u00a0civilian casualties have increased by\u00a0roughly 31\u00a0per cent<\/strong>\u00a0compared with 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the beginning of this year alone, 186 attacks on healthcare verified by WHO have resulted in 15 deaths and left at least 81 people injured, with numbers continuing to rise,\u201d\u00a0said Dr Jarno Habicht,\u00a0the agency\u2019s\u00a0Representative in Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCompared to the same period in 2025, the number of deaths has increased nearly fourfold, while injuries have almost doubled.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a9 UNFPA\/Olha Lavryk
\n Underground maternity wards have been built near combat zones in Kharkiv, Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Continued support\u00a0required<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Viktor Liashko,\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s\u00a0Minister of Health, expressed gratitude to WHO and partners for their support.\u00a0\u00a0He said\u00a0latest\u00a0estimates show that it will cost\u00a0$23.6 billion\u00a0to rebuild the healthcare sector over the next decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, we are doing everything possible to ensure that patients have access to necessary medical care,\u201d he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WHO\u00a0underlined\u00a0the need to sustain and strengthen\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s\u00a0health system to ensure millions across the country have uninterrupted access.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In\u00a0the last\u00a0year alone,\u00a0WHO supported\u00a01.9\u00a0million people\u00a0with essential health services<\/strong>,\u00a0nearly 1,000\u00a0health facilities with medicines and equipment, and more than 2,500 health workers through training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additionally, over 6,400 patients were assisted with medical evacuation abroad for specialist care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Assistance\u00a0to farmers<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, two UN\u00a0entities\u00a0have launched\u00a0a\u00a0programme<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0help\u00a0small-scale farmers in\u00a0Khersonska\u00a0oblast\u00a0in\u00a0southern Ukraine\u00a0to\u00a0restore agricultural land and revive farming activities affected by the war.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The initiative\u00a0is by\u00a0the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO<\/a>) and the UN Office for Project Services<\/a> (UNOPS) in cooperation with\u00a0the\u00a0Ministry of Economy,\u00a0Environment\u00a0and Agriculture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The partners\u00a0have issued a new call\u00a0for applications in the State Agrarian Registry (SAR)\u00a0for farmers in\u00a0four\u00a0communities whose land has been\u00a0impacted\u00a0by the hostilities and further affected by drought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eligible applicants include agricultural producers cultivating between\u00a0three\u00a0and 300 hectares of land\u00a0that is\u00a0located\u00a0at a safe distance from the frontline.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cash, seeds and guidance<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those selected\u00a0will receive cash\u00a0assistance\u00a0and vouchers to\u00a0purchase\u00a0items such as\u00a0drought-adapted seeds, drip irrigation\u00a0kits\u00a0and other\u00a0agricultural inputs\u00a0needed to restart production.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They will also receive\u00a0guidance and support in applying for the State compensation\u00a0programme\u00a0for humanitarian demining.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The initiative is being\u00a0implemented\u00a0with\u00a0financial\u00a0support from\u00a0the\u00a0Ukraine Community Recovery Fund (UCRF<\/a>)\u2014a UN-backed entity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is part of\u00a0a broader\u00a0$2.6 million joint project by FAO and UNOPS, funded through\u00a0the\u00a0UCRF,\u00a0to help farming communities in\u00a0the\u00a0Kherson\u00a0region\u00a0safely return to agricultural production.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cDuring\u00a01,534 days\u00a0of war, Ukraine\u2019s healthcare system has experienced repeated attacks,\u201d\u00a0it\u00a0said.\u00a0 Every aspect of the system has been targeted,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":949703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4316],"tags":[105,4348,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-949702","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthcare","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116548373388483865","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=949702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/949703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=949702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=949702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=949702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}