UN headquarters building in New York. The UN and its partners helped evacuate a hospital in Kharkov Humanitarian assistance
In recent days, hostilities have resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, across Ukraine. UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced this at a briefing for journalists on Wednesday.
“On the thirteenth of October, a hospital in Kharkov received serious damage, seven patients were injured, which led to the evacuation,” Dujarric said, adding that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the roof of the hospital was destroyed, windows were broken, and medical equipment was damaged. Almost 100 patients had to be transferred to other facilities. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, which visited the scene of the incident, reported that about 120 patients and 10 medical workers were in the hospital at the time the planned bomb fell. UN humanitarian agencies and their partners helped organize the evacuation of patients and provided hot meals to the victims. Dujarric noted, citing humanitarian agencies, that the conflict had a devastating impact on Ukraine’s health care system. “The country accounts for almost half of all confirmed attacks on healthcare facilities in the world this year. WHO recorded 448 attacks on Ukrainian health care facilities in 2025 – out of 1,070 in the world,” Dujarric said.
Evacuation from Kupyansky district
Meanwhile, against the backdrop of escalating hostilities, the authorities announced the mandatory evacuation of families with children from 40 settlements in the Kupyansky district of the Kharkov region. In total, more than 600 children are expected to be resettled. “Humanitarian organizations are supporting evacuations by providing safe transport and providing assistance at transit and collective accommodation sites,” the spokesman said. Dujarric also recalled that UN humanitarian agencies and their partners continue to support the response throughout the country. Between January and August this year, 3.2 million people received support in areas such as water, heating, sanitation and hygiene. This included repairing water systems serving 1.3 million people and providing emergency water supplies to 800,000 people. In the cold season, water is needed not only for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene, but also for heating premises, the UN emphasizes.