In the midst of the ongoing conflict between Putin’s Russia and Ukraine‘s Zelensky ,the healthcare system in Ukraine has been subjected to relentless assaults, with emergency healthcare workers and ambulances being targeted by Russian drones. Emergency doctor Elina Dovzhenko narrowly escaped injury when a Russian drone struck her vehicle’s windshield, splattering shrapnel around. The incident occurred in the bombed-out city of Kupiansk, which sits precariously close to the front line in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.
Dovzhenko’s experience is not an isolated incident. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), some 200 ambulances have been damaged or destroyed by Russian shelling attacks each year since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. “Ambulance workers and other personnel servicing health transport face a risk of injury and death three times higher than that of other healthcare service workers,” the WHO said. The organization’s records show that since 2022, it has verified 1,682 attacks on healthcare facilities and workers in Ukraine, resulting in 128 deaths and 288 injuries of health professionals and their patients.
These attacks are part of the Kremlin’s wider strategy to destroy Ukraine’s medical facilities and deprive millions of access to healthcare, exacerbating their stress as well as physical and mental health problems. The WHO reports that 68% of Ukrainians already experience a decline in their health compared to the pre-war period, and 46% are concerned about their mental health. “These attacks are a deliberate crime against humanity aimed at destroying civilians and those who stand on the front line fighting for [their] lives,” Ukraine’s Health Ministry said.
International relief groups are aware of the gravity of the situation and are ready to keep supporting Ukraine’s healthcare. Giorgio Trombatore, regional director for Eastern Europe with Project Hope, an international humanitarian group, emphasized the importance of resilience in the face of such attacks. “Unfortunately, these types of situation are not new,” Trombatore said. “But we are resilient, we’re going to continue.” Project Hope maintains 13 ambulances in four Ukrainian regions, including five in Kharkiv, and provides helmets and flak jackets to healthcare workers. Some of their ambulances are bulletproof, which has proven to be a lifesaver in at least one instance where a Russian drone attack occurred.
The city of Kupiansk, where Dovzhenko’s ambulance was targeted, has been severely affected by the conflict. Once boasting a dozen factories and a population of 22,000, the city was occupied by Russian forces early in the war but was later liberated during a Ukrainian counter-offensive. However, it remains within reach of Russian artillery, drones, and missiles, which have killed dozens of civilians and damaged almost every building. About 1,200 people, or 7% of the pre-war population, still live in Kupiansk, and many are too scared to leave due to a lack of alternative housing options.
Paramedic Denys Raievskyi, who works with Dovzhenko, highlighted the challenges faced by healthcare workers in the conflict zone. “They’re scared to leave, they have no relatives to host them, they say, ‘I’d better die here, because it’s home,'” Raievskyi said. Despite the risks, Raievskyi and his colleagues continue to provide medical care to those in need, often under extremely difficult circumstances.