‘russia Is Targeting Us Deliberately’: How Attacks On Maternity Hospitals Fuelled A Birth Crisis In Ukraine

It was 1 of nan astir horrifying targets of Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine truthful far. Reports showed a pregnant female connected a stretcher, her look ashen pinch shock, legs smeared pinch humor and a manus holding her bump. Behind her, nan bombed-out ruins of Mariupol’s maternity hospital. More than a twelve people, including women successful labour, were injured successful nan onslaught successful March 2022. The female photographed, Iryna Kalinina, later died on pinch her unborn baby.

In nan 3 years since then, maternity attraction successful Ukraine has remained nether changeless attack, pinch more than 2,000 strikes connected aesculapian facilities, including 81 affecting maternal attraction and transportation rooms. Just past month, Diana Koshyk, 7 months pregnant, was killed erstwhile a rocket struck a maternity infirmary successful nan eastbound Dnipropetrovsk region.

Over nan past month, nan Guardian has visited 3 maternity hospitals connected nan frontline to witnesser really Russia’s full-scale penetration and attacks connected healthcare accommodation person taken distant women’s basal correct to a safe childbirth.

Heavily pregnant Iryna Kalinina is evacuated from a maternity infirmary successful Mariupol deed by a Russian airstrike successful March 2022. She and her unborn babe later died. Photograph: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

At each hospital, women and nan unit moving location look unspeakable danger: circling drones, artillery, ballistic missiles and nan targeted degradation of healthcare infrastructure. They consequence themselves to bring caller life into a state wherever location are now three deaths for each birth.

Even pinch renewed hopes for an extremity to nan war, Russia’s sadistic strategies person fuelled a demographic situation for Ukraine. Millions of women and children person fled nan country, hundreds of thousands of group person been killed, and those women who remained person been near fearful of gestation and childbirth.

In 2024, Ukraine suffered nan lowest birthrate successful nan world and nan highest mortality rate, according to nan CIA’s World Factbook.

Kharkiv

The infirmary successful Kharkiv delivered about 1,000 babies a twelvemonth earlier Russia’s full-scale penetration successful 2022. Last year, that fig fell to little than 440 – two-thirds of women of child-bearing property person fled nan city. The fig would beryllium moreover little but much women are attending arsenic different hospitals in nan metropolis extremity operating.

Just 5 days earlier our presence successful precocious July, nan maternity building of Kharkiv’s main infirmary had been damaged successful a drone strike. As nan windows were blown successful and solid sprayed crossed beds, nan women – immoderate pregnant, others pinch newborns and 1 successful progressive labour – were rushed crossed nan stream to a perinatal centre for urgent aesculapian care. All were suffering from shock, but nan female successful labour needed an urgent caesarean section. Staff operated quickly and mother and babe survived.

A mother pinch her newborn babe is helped downstairs to nan infirmary shelter during a night-time Russian onslaught connected Kharkiv past month. Photograph: Emre Çaylak/The Guardian

Such bombardment has go each excessively communal successful Kharkiv, which has been nether dense and sustained onslaught since nan first hours of nan war. In June, nan metropolis was deed pinch nan largest number of attacks since nan full-scale penetration began. At nan perinatal centre now taking attraction of women, doctors opportunity they person delivered babies successful nan mediate of aerial attacks, and carried retired room while bouncing up and down from nan effect of explosions.

The metropolis itself is heavy scarred by war. Broken solid lines nan pavements extracurricular nan hospital, while 2 buildings other dishonesty derelict aft suffering damage. The centre’s windows are filled pinch sandbags, their integrative panes crossed pinch portion to incorporate immoderate breakage. Power cuts are routine, pinch caesareans having been carried retired by torchlight successful nan past.

It is simply a batch of accent to contend pinch if you are pregnant. Doctors opportunity they person seen aesculapian complications and breakdowns – 1 caller mother refused to return her kid location aft she learned her hubby had been killed astatine nan front. The infirmary now employs a scientist to thief easiness nan fears of women who are reluctant to moreover travel to nan infirmary owed to nan consequence it could beryllium hit.

When Olga Shevela, 30, went into labour, she had to recreation to nan infirmary arsenic Shahed drones buzzed supra nan road. “I was worried nan infirmary could beryllium targeted, but I had nary prime but to springiness birth,” she says, rocking one-day-old Zahar. They ended up successful nan hospital’s explosive shelter conscionable hours aft transportation arsenic almost 20 explosions deed nan city.

Olga Shevela, left, a first-time mother from Lubotin adjacent Kharkiv, takes attraction of her two-day-old boy Zahar, pictured, while sheltering pinch different parents and their babies during a Russian onslaught connected Kharkiv maternity hospital. Photographs: Emre Çaylak/The Guardian

When nan aerial ambush sirens wail, women watercourse done corridors towards nan shelter successful varying states of health. It is excessively vulnerable to return nan assistance successful lawsuit nan infirmary is hit, truthful they contend pinch nan stairs. Some are trailed by nurses steadying portable intravenous drips, others cradle mini infants. Those successful nan precocious stages of labour, undergoing room aliases who are recovering from an cognition are excessively vulnerable to move and person to enactment behind.

Early successful nan war, births were improvised successful what was past a dusty basement, but it has now been converted to see beds and a transportation room. It is not sterile capable for room but they tin accommodate births and location are capable provisions for 3 days.

Dasha Borisenko, 32, has suffered 2 miscarriages and is now surviving full-time astatine nan infirmary to protect a high-risk gestation – she is not owed until January. She was surviving successful a colony successful nan eastbound Sumy region on nan Russian border, which is now enduring immoderate of nan worst fighting. She has not seen her hubby for 2 weeks because they are concerned astir subject recruitment teams connected nan roads.

“I really want to person a kid but pinch this war, it is difficult to manage,” she says.

Sloviansk

Sloviansk’s organization has halved since nan invasion began, from more than 100,000 to astir 53,000. Births astatine nan infirmary person dropped from much than 1,000 a twelvemonth to about 550. The fig is kept higher because nan infirmary now takes patients from a broader area as other maternity accommodation person go unavailable.

Liliia Eroshenko, 36, was astatine location and heavy pregnant successful July erstwhile she heard that 3 Shahed drones had collapsed into nan main building of Sloviansk hospital. Eroshenko and her hubby had delayed having a kid for 3 years because they were waiting for nan warfare to end, but pinch nary motion of bid they “couldn’t hold for ever”.

Sandbags protect nan windows of a bomb-damaged infirmary successful Sloviansk. Photograph: Emre Çaylak/The Guardian

They were fearful that nan maternity building – a short locomotion from nan main infirmary – would beryllium nan adjacent Russian target. Four days aft nan bombardment, nan maternity portion has truthful acold been spared and Eroshenko is tending to her two-day-old daughter, Milana, who wriggles successful a container successful beforehand of her.

With nan early of nan metropolis truthful uncertain, she is now considering fleeing to nan westbound of nan country, but worries that obscurity successful Ukraine is safe. One of her biggest fears is that her hubby will beryllium mobilised.

“There is nary safe spot near successful Sloviansk,” she says. “We perceive explosions each day.”

In nan aforesaid room arsenic Eroshenko, Vitalii Chernetskyi, 31, cradles his two-day-old daughter, Daria. Blinded successful 1 eye, he is connected indefinite time off aft being injured astatine nan beforehand while his woman was pregnant. “Children are our happiness – they should beryllium born,” he says.

Former worker Vitalii Chernetskyi holding newborn Daria successful nan State City infirmary successful Sloviansk. He was blinded successful 1 oculus during action astatine nan front. Photograph: Emre Çaylak/The Guardian

The infirmary building that was deed now lies successful ruins – burnt out, partially collapsed, pinch immense twists of metallic roofing flung metres away. Diggers were clearing distant rubble and solid erstwhile nan Guardian visited, arsenic artillery shelling boomed successful nan distance.

The maternity portion is nan past 1 to stay functional successful Ukrainian-held Donbas, nan colloquial word utilized to picture nan eastbound business heartlands of Donetsk and Luhansk that person been partially occupied since 2014. All nan others person either closed, been destroyed aliases are nether occupation.

Lying little than 20 miles from a shifting frontline, women recreation from arsenic acold arsenic 100 miles distant to springiness commencement here. They look drones, artillery, missiles and reconnaissance sabotage groups. People effort to debar nationalist spaces owed to regular attacks and strengthen regular energy cuts arsenic good arsenic espionage – an alleged Russian supplier was detained successful Sloviansk during our sojourn for collecting accusation astir Ukraine’s military.

The maternity infirmary has mislaid respective members of unit to attacks connected nan city, while midwives opportunity location are much premature births and a emergence successful cancers, particularly of nan uterus. “We saw nan aforesaid jump aft 2014,” says Valentyna Hlushchenko, 62, head of obstetrics and gynaecology.

“Women respire successful particles successful nan aerial from nan regular explosions,” she says. “They besides hold excessively agelong to inquire for thief erstwhile thing is wrong.”

Kherson

The organization successful nan metropolis was 280,000 earlier nan penetration and little than 4th of its residents remain. Its maternity portion utilized to handle 1,500 to 2,000 births a year, but now only sees astir 120. About 100 group person been killed and 1,100 injured successful nan city this year.

In a windowless underground maternity infirmary successful Kherson, Kateryna Osetsymska, 35, is sitting successful furniture successful a spotted infirmary gown, her look bedewed pinch tears. Outside, dense booms sound arsenic explosives are fired backmost and distant crossed nan stream – pinch Russian forces astir half a mile away.

Kateryna Osetsymska is 33 weeks pregnant and was brought into Kherson maternity infirmary No 1 successful July arsenic she is considered precocious risk. Russian forces are astir half a mile away. Photograph: Emre Çaylak/The Guardian

Osetsymska was admitted a week agone for her safety. She is 33 weeks pregnant and considered precocious consequence – doctors opportunity location are immoderate complications pinch her uterus. “I’m definite it’s because of stress,” she says.

Since nan commencement of nan full-scale penetration nan metropolis of Kherson, successful confederate Ukraine, has been attacked pinch everything from tanks to guided aerial bombs, drones and multilaunch rocket systems. The city’s maternity infirmary No 2 has been damaged 5 times and now operates underground successful a state-of-the-art basement refurbishment that includes delivery, room and betterment rooms.

The time earlier nan Guardian’s visit, explosives dropped by a remotely guided “first-person view” (FPV) drone narrowly missed nan infirmary and deed nan car park. “Kherson doesn’t person a aesculapian installation that has been deed little than 4 aliases 5 times,” says nan caput of obstetrics, Petro Marenkovskyi. “We are 100% assured Russia is targeting america deliberately.”

The city’s proximity to Russian forces intends location is small chance of a siren informing earlier an explosion. Artillery aliases mortar occurrence hits conscionable 3 seconds aft motorboat and if group perceive a Russian combatant pitchy is successful nan sky, they only person 5 minutes to find location to hide from guided aerial bombs.

Bomb-damaged buildings adjacent nan Dnipro River successful nan frontline metropolis of Kherson. The metropolis is nether changeless threat from Russian drone attacks. Photograph: Emre Çaylak/The Guardian

Residents are stalked by FPV drones that driblet explosives pinch chilling precision, often hitting civilians. Doctors opportunity they look utmost consequence moreover coming to work; we are warned that a Russian reconnaissance drone is flying supra nan infirmary during our visit.

The changeless stress, says nan caput of obstetrics successful Kherson, intends higher consequence of miscarriages, much haemorrhages and an accrued complaint of surgical intervention. Things were worse during almost 9 months of business successful 2022 erstwhile group hid successful their houses and women went without aesculapian care; a steep emergence successful stillbirths followed.

Osetsymska says she was pregnant pinch her youngest kid during nan business and incapable to recreation from her village, pinch nary entree to doctors aliases aesculapian care. “You can’t erase nan horrible worldly we person been done pinch this war.

“But my large dream is that my babe will live, and that they get a chance to bask childhood,” she says.