• As Ukraine enters the fifth year of full-scale war, its people have endured the highest number of attacks on their health care in 2025 - increasing by nearly 20% compared to 2024. • Since the beginning of the full-scale war on 24 February 2022, WHO has documented at least 2881 attacks on health care in Ukraine, affecting health workers, facilities, ambulances, and medical warehouses. • Health services are under intense pressure in two fronts: direct attacks on health care, and the cascading effects of strikes on civilian infrastructure, including thermal power plants that underpin the country’s power grid. • These have left deep gaps in people’s health. • According to a WHO assessment conducted in December 2025, 59% of people in frontline areas reported their health as poor or very poor, compared to 47% in non-frontline areas. • “After four years of war, health needs are increasing, but many people are unable to get the care they need, in part because hospitals and clinics are routinely attacked,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

Article Summaries:

  • Ukraine’s health sector has faced a 20 % rise in attacks in 2025, the highest since the full‑scale war began in February 2022. WHO records show 2,881 attacks on health facilities, workers, ambulances and warehouses, with 184 incidents in Q3 alone killing 12 people and injuring 110. The violence has compounded the strain from energy‑infrastructure strikes that cripple heating and power, leaving millions without basic utilities. A December 2025 WHO assessment found 59 % of frontline residents report poor health versus 47 % elsewhere, while 72 % suffer anxiety or depression and 80 % lack access to essential medicines. WHO is delivering supplies and support to 1.9 million people, but the crisis underscores the need for sustained international aid.
  • In 2025 Ukraine experienced a 20 % rise in attacks on health‑care facilities, the highest since the full‑scale war began in February 2022. WHO has recorded 2,881 such attacks to date, killing 233 health workers and patients and injuring 930. The year’s peak occurred in Q3, with 184 incidents that killed 12 people and injured 110. Attacks on medical warehouses tripled, disrupting supply chains. The war’s impact on infrastructure, especially power and heating plants, has left many frontline residents reporting poor health, while 59 % of those surveyed in these areas rated their health as poor or very poor. WHO is providing supplies and support to 1.9 million people, yet access to essential medicines remains limited.

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