WHO staff delivering aid in the Kherson region came under attack (archive). WHO: amid escalating attacks on the Ukrainian healthcare system, a maternity hospital in Kherson was hit Healthcare
During the attack on Kherson, the perinatal center was damaged: walls, windows, doors, equipment, as well as water and gas supply systems were damaged. Medical personnel, mothers and newborns were able to take shelter, there were no casualties. The World Health Organization reported this on Friday.
This attack further complicates access to medical care in one of the most affected regions of Ukraine, the WHO warns. In addition, according to the latest data from the UN agency, more than 40 thousand people in Kherson remains without heating and electricity after the attacks.
In the period from the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation until December 5, 2025, the WHO recorded 2,763 attacks on the Ukrainian healthcare system. These attacks disrupt the process of providing medical care and endanger the health and lives of patients and doctors across the country.Ukraine faces a double crisis: direct attacks on the medical system including health workers, facilities and transport and the consequences of attacks on civilian infrastructure. Interruptions in the supply of electricity, water supply and heating – especially in the winter months – exacerbate the plight of residents of the affected areas.
This winter, many women Ukraine will have to give birth in the dark and cold; people recovering from injuries or heart attacks may be forced to lie in cold and damp wards; Oncology surgeries will be canceled due to power and water supplies being cut off. According to WHO estimates, from 150 thousand to 250 thousand patients in front-line hospitals and maternity hospitals may be left without heating and electricity.
Increasing number of attacks
Last year, as a result of attacks on the healthcare system, 73 medical workers and patients were killed, and another 405 were injured. In 2025, 19 deaths and 198 injuries were recorded. In total, according to WHO, since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, 224 medical workers and patients have died, and 896 have been injured.
More than three quarters of the attacks confirmed by the WHO occurred in medical facilities, and almost a quarter occurred in transport, including ambulances. This trend continues throughout three years of full-scale war, which systematically undermines emergency response. This year, the WHO has recorded a 12 percent increase in attacks on medical infrastructure compared to last year. No component of the healthcare system is safe. Tertiary care facilities, pharmacies and warehouses are also hit. destroyed. Vulnerable populations are less able to receive timely medical care, and ongoing attacks have forced many health workers to flee the hardest-hit regions. rights”, stressed the WHO Director for the European Region Hans Kluge. areas.
In 2025, the organization supplied medical goods worth $19.42 million to 883 medical institutions in Ukraine, and also helped install modular heating systems and alternative energy sources to ensure continuity of supply services.
The European Bureau WHO also helps hospitals in the Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Kyiv and Nikolaev regions to prepare for power outages, floods and attacks.