Ukraine: Healthcare Deliberately Destroyed – Call for Compliance with International Humanitarian Law

Mobile clinic in Kherson Oblast destroyed by shelling – February 17, 2023 © Laurel Chor

Healthcare in Ukraine continues to be destroyed. This is not incidental damage from Russia’s invasion, but a deliberate and systematic campaign. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has published a report titled 'No Safe Place to Heal,' documenting attacks on medical facilities and personnel in the country, condemning the strategy of destroying healthcare systems to inflict suffering on the entire population.

MSF calls on all parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, urges countries to pressure Russia to cease attacks on healthcare, and calls on the United Nations Security Council to conduct investigations into these attacks.

Over 2,800 attacks on healthcare in approximately four years

Between April 2022 and December 2025, MSF confirmed over 20 attacks on affiliated medical facilities. Four hospitals where MSF operated were completely destroyed, and seven ambulance bases became inoperable. MSF also lost access to over 80 villages across six oblasts that it had supported through mobile clinics.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 2,811 attacks on healthcare from February 2022, when the conflict intensified, to the end of 2025. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, Russian forces damaged over 2,500 medical facilities during the same period, with 327 completely destroyed.

“These attacks are too consistent, too frequent, and too precise to be considered incidental,” said Robin Meldrum, MSF’s operations manager in Ukraine.

“Hospitals are repeatedly attacked, ambulances are targeted by drones, and medical staff are killed while delivering medicines in clearly marked vehicles. This is not coincidence. There is a clear pattern, and behind it, intent.”

Due to attacks on medical facilities and fear of being targeted, civilians are increasingly unable to access non-emergency care, including treatment for chronic conditions. An MSF survey of 187 civilians living near the front lines found that the proportion of people who said they could access healthcare “always” or “most of the time” dropped from 72% before intensified fighting to 35%.

Meanwhile, the proportion of people who said they could access healthcare “hardly ever” or “never” rose from 7% to 35%. Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and epilepsy—normally manageable with treatment—are becoming life-threatening due to interrupted care and delayed consultations. Even operational medical facilities face severe staff shortages; in MSF-supported hospitals in Kherson Oblast, the number of doctors has decreased by 66% since 2022.

MSF ambulance damaged in attack on hospital in Donetsk Oblast – November 21, 2023 © MSF

Rising threat of drone attacks

MSF staff operating in eastern and southern Ukraine face threats from 'First-Person View drones' (FPV drones), which fly from the operator’s perspective. These weapons allow soldiers to identify and precisely target locations in real time.

On September 29, 2025, in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, an MSF-supported medical facility’s nurse and project coordinator were attacked by a Russian FPV drone while transporting medicines in a clearly marked vehicle. The project coordinator lost one leg in the attack. Under international humanitarian law, intentionally attacking clearly identified medical personnel or medical vehicles may constitute a war crime.

MSF medical staff working in frontline and central Cherkasy’s early rehabilitation centers face the reality that drone attacks are evolving faster than medical responses. While most injuries were previously caused by shelling, trauma patients from drone attacks are now increasing. These attacks result in multiple casualties at once, with patients suffering multiple simultaneous injuries, higher infection rates, and increased cases of sepsis.

An MSF surgeon described a patient who suffered amputation of the right leg, open fractures in the left leg and right arm, shrapnel embedded in the left arm, and multiple wounds in the chest, abdomen, and head. Five surgeons operated simultaneously on the patient for about six hours. The surgeon said:

“The first battle is against bleeding. Even if the patient survives that, the next battle is against infection. And many patients lose that second battle.”

Compliance with international humanitarian law

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2286, which reaffirmed the protection of humanitarian and medical personnel, patients, and medical facilities in armed conflict. MSF calls on all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.

It also urges countries with influence over Russia to pressure it to stop attacks on healthcare. Furthermore, MSF calls on the UN Security Council to conduct proper investigations into attacks on healthcare and publicly condemn them, demonstrating commitment to Resolution 2286.