Russian strikes on hospitals during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

File:Hospital in Beryslav after Russian shelling, 2023-10-05 (02).jpg

As of 21 December 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 1,422 attacks on health care reported by their 'Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care' (SSA) tool.{{Cite web |title=Situation reports (Ukraine-specific) |url=https://www.who.int/europe/emergencies/situations/ukraine-emergency/situation-reports-(ukraine-specific) |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}

The WHO, in an article published on 22 February 2024, reported 1,574 verified attacks on health, and the deaths of 118 health-care workers, since the start of the full scale illegal invasion of Ukraine.{{Cite web |title=3 reflections from 2 years: WHO's response to Europe's largest emergency |url=https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/22-02-2024-3-reflections-from-2-years--who-s-response-to-europe-s-largest-emergency |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}

As of 4 April 2024, WHO verified 1682 attacks on health care in Ukraine, resulting in 128 deaths and 288 injuries of medical personnel and patients.{{Cite web |title=Triple risk of harm for Ukraine's health transport workers over other health-care staff, WHO data indicates |url=https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/04-04-2024-triple-risk-of-harm-for-ukraine-s-health-transport-workers-over-other-health-care-staff--who-data-indicates |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}

As of 10 July 2024 Physicians for Human Rights "Attacks on Health Care in Ukraine" website counted 1442 attacks on health care facilities, out of which 742 destroyed hospitals and clinics, killing 210 health workers.{{Cite web |title=Attacks on Health Care in Ukraine |url=https://www.attacksonhealthukraine.org/ |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=www.attacksonhealthukraine.org |language=en}}

On 8 July 2024, Human Rights Watch reported of 1,736 damaged or destroyed medical facilities.{{Cite news| work=Human Rights Watch| title=Russia's July 8 Attack on a Children's Hospital in Ukraine| date=11 July 2024| url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/11/russias-july-8-attack-childrens-hospital-ukraine}}

File:Destructions in Dnipro after Russian attack, 2023-12-29 (38).webp

Russia has a history of employing systematic attacks on medical facilities as a tactic of war.{{Cite news |last1=Triebert |first1=Christiaan |last2=Hill |first2=Evan |last3=Browne |first3=Malachy |last4=Hurst |first4=Whitney |last5=Khavin |first5=Dmitriy |last6=Froliak |first6=Masha |date=2019-10-13 |title=How Times Reporters Proved Russia Bombed Syrian Hospitals |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/reader-center/russia-syria-hospitals-investigation.html |access-date=2024-02-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last1=Hill |first1=Evan |last2=Triebert |first2=Christiaan |date=2019-10-13 |title=12 Hours. 4 Syrian Hospitals Bombed. One Culprit: Russia. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/world/middleeast/russia-bombing-syrian-hospitals.html |access-date=2024-02-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |date=2016-03-03 |title=Syrian and Russian forces targeting hospitals as a strategy of war |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2016/03/syrian-and-russian-forces-targeting-hospitals-as-a-strategy-of-war/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}} Human rights organizations operating in Syria state that Russian Federation is deliberately using GPS coordinates handed over to them by the UN's deconfliction line as a list of targets.{{Cite web |last=McKay |first=Hollie |date=2019-05-10 |title=Syrian hospitals bombed by Assad, Russian troops after coordinates were shared with the UN |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/syria-hospitals-assad-russia-coordinates-un |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Herman |first=Jonnea |date=2019-06-13 |title=The UN Made a List of Hospitals in Syria. Now They're Being Bombed. |url=https://tcf.org/content/report/un-made-list-hospitals-syria-now-theyre-bombed/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=The Century Foundation |language=en}}{{Cite news |last1=Hill |first1=Evan |last2=Hurst |first2=Whitney |date=2019-12-29 |title=The U.N. Tried to Save Hospitals in Syria. It Didn't Work. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/29/world/middleeast/united-nations-syria-russia.html |access-date=2024-02-08 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} This became such a problem, that doctors refused to share their coordinates with the UN in an attempt to avoid Russian attacks.{{Cite web |date=2020-04-16 |title=UN Fails to Acknowledge Own Failures in Hospital Attacks Inquiry |url=https://syriaaccountability.org/un-fails-to-acknowledge-own-failures-in-hospital-attacks-inquiry/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=Syria Justice & Accountability Centre |language=en}} Eventually the Russian Federation left the UN program claiming it was in protest of the UN not sharing the list with their Syrian ally, who likewise, engaged in a campaign of attacks against healthcare facilities.{{Cite web |title=Russia quits UN system aimed at protecting hospitals, aid in Syria |url=https://www.chinadailyhk.com/article/134957#Russia-quits-UN-system-aimed-at-protecting-hospitals-aid-in-Syria |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=chinadailyhk}}{{Cite news |title=The ultimate barbarity |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2016/09/03/the-ultimate-barbarity |access-date=2024-02-07 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}{{Cite news |last=Cumming-Bruce |first=Nick |date=2013-09-13 |title=U.N. Reports Syria Uses Hospital Attacks as a 'Weapon of War' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/14/world/middleeast/un-panel-accuses-syria-of-attacking-hospitals.html |access-date=2024-02-07 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |title=Syria's hospitals face systematic attacks: report – DW – 03/09/2021 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/syrias-hospitals-face-systematic-attacks-report/a-56811097 |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=dw.com |language=en}} Russian state media had been routinely justifying attacks on civilian objects, destruction of towns and inciting extermination of civilian population in Ukraine.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9krFyeKL5UY |title=Andrey Gurulyov and Vladimir Solovyov want to destroy Ukrainian cities |date=2024-07-07 |last=Russian Media Monitor |access-date=2024-07-10 |via=YouTube}}

Between February 24 and March 21, 2022, sixty-four medical facilities and their personnel were targeted by Russian forces in Ukraine, the WHO reported.{{Cite web |title=WHO Confirms Attacks on Ukraine Healthcare Facilities |url=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-03-04/card/who-confirms-attacks-on-ukraine-healthcare-facilities-NMYnrLY9BvqOulLdLXxB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306092810/https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia-ukraine-latest-news-2022-03-04/card/who-confirms-attacks-on-ukraine-healthcare-facilities-NMYnrLY9BvqOulLdLXxB |archive-date=March 6, 2022 |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=WSJ |language=en}}

By March 25, 2022, the facilities were being hit at rate of two to three a day. Mostly with heavy weapons.{{Cite journal |last=Taylor |first=Luke |date=2022-03-25 |title=Russian forces are increasingly targeting Ukrainian healthcare facilities, says WHO |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o801 |journal=BMJ |language=en |volume=376 |pages=o801 |doi=10.1136/bmj.o801 |issn=1756-1833 |pmid=35338043 |s2cid=247631261 |doi-access=free}}

By April 8, 2022, there were 91 attacks confirmed by the WHO, averaging 2 attacks on hospitals, ambulances or medical supply depots per day.{{cite news |last1=Sanders IV |first1=Lewis |last2=Felden |first2=Esther |last3=Theise |first3=Eugen |date=8 April 2022 |title=How Russia could get away with attacks on Ukraine hospitals |url=https://www.dw.com/en/how-russia-could-get-away-with-attacks-on-ukraine-hospitals/a-61383117 |access-date=11 April 2022 |website=Deutsche Welle}}

By November 21, 2022, there were at least 703 attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities with 144 such facilities completely destroyed by Russia.{{cite web |date=21 November 2022 |title=Russian Airstrikes in Ukraine: The 'Largest Attack' on Health Care in Europe Since World War II, Says WHO - Health Policy Watch |url=https://healthpolicy-watch.news/russian-ukraine-airstrikes-largest-attack-health-care-europe-since-world-war-ii-who/}}

By the end of 2022, nearly one in ten Ukrainian hospitals had been damaged.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-28 |title=Nearly one in every 10 hospitals in Ukraine have been damaged by attacks since Russia's invasion - Ukraine {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/nearly-one-every-10-hospitals-ukraine-have-been-damaged-attacks-russias-invasion |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=C. N. N. |date=2023-02-21 |title=Report: Nearly one in every 10 hospitals in Ukraine have been damaged by attacks since Russia's invasion |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/21/europe/report-hospital-ukraine-attacks-russia-invasion-intl-dg/index.html |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=CNN |language=en}}

The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) found that Russia has "deliberately and repeated" targeted Kherson city's medical facilities between December 2022, and May 2023.{{Cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |date=2023-09-20 |title=Revealed: how Russia deliberately targeted Kherson's hospitals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/20/revealed-how-russia-deliberately-targeted-kherson-hospitals |access-date=2024-02-09 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last1=Harding |first1=Luke |last2=Malykhina |first2=Lisa |last3=Morresi |first3=Elena |last4=Čvorak |first4=Monika |date=2023-09-20 |title=Why is Russia targeting hospitals in Kherson? – video explainer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2023/sep/20/why-is-russia-targeting-hospitals-in-kherson-video-explainer |access-date=2024-02-09 |work=the Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

By May 30, 2023, the WHO had verified 1,000 attacks, the highest number ever recorded.{{Cite web |title=WHO records more than 1000 attacks on health care in Ukraine over the past 15 months of full-scale war |url=https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/30-05-2023-who-records-1-000th-attack-on-health-care-in-ukraine-over-the-past-15-months-of-full-scale-war |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=www.who.int |language=en}} Other monitoring groups have also marked the milestone 1000th attack, though using different metrics.{{Cite web |last=Short |first=Kevin |date=2023-08-10 |title=A Horrific Milestone: More Than 1,000 Attacks on Health Care in Ukraine Since Russia's Full-scale Invasion |url=https://phr.org/news/a-horrific-milestone-more-than-1000-attacks-on-health-care-in-ukraine-since-russias-full-scale-invasion/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=PHR |language=en-US}} Collectively this constitutes almost daily, deliberate instances of war crimes on a massive scale.{{cite web |title=Putin is Targeting Ukrainian Hospitals. That's a War Crime |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/04/11/putin-targeting-ukrainian-hospitals-war-crime/}}

By February 22, 2024, the WHO regional direct confirmed that there had been "over 1500" attacks reported.{{Cite web |title=Ukraine's health system is a symbol of resilience |url=https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/22-02-2024-ukraine-s-health-system-is-a-symbol-of-resilience |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-22 |title=Ukraine's health system is a symbol of resilience |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-health-system-hans-kluge-war-world-health-organization/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}

The UN reported 131 additional attacks on health infrastructure in their February 21, 2024, report. This seems to be since January 2024.

File:Okhmatdyt after Russian attack, 2024-07-08 (50).jpg

A deadly attack occurred on the first day of the war, February 24, 2022, at the Central City Hospital in Vuhledar when a Russian ballistic missile full of cluster munitions fell just outside of the hospital, killing four and injuring ten.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-25 |title=Ukraine: Russian Cluster Munition Hits Hospital {{!}} Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/02/25/ukraine-russian-cluster-munition-hits-hospital |access-date=2024-02-07 |language=en}}

The most widely covered attack was the bombing of the Mariupol maternity hospital.{{Cite news |date=2022-03-12 |title=Russian attacks hit at least 9 Ukrainian medical facilities, visual evidence shows |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/12/ukraine-hospital-attacks-video/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en}}

On 23 November 2022, Russian missile strikes destroyed a maternity ward in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, in the town of Vilnyansk, killing a newborn baby.

On July 8, 2024, Russian cruise missiles attacked children's hospitals in Kyiv and Dnipro.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/08/ukraine-horror-russian-bombing-kyiv-childrens-hospital | title='No words for this': Horror over Russian bombing of Kyiv children's hospital | newspaper=The Guardian | date=8 July 2024 | last1=Sauer | first1=Pjotr }}

• Russian–Syrian hospital bombing campaign
• War crimes in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• Attacks on health facilities during the Gaza war
• Russian war crimes
• Russian war crimes during the Syrian civil war
• War crimes in the Syrian civil war

{{reflist}}

{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine}}

Category:2022 building bombings

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Category:Building bombings in Ukraine

Category:Attacks on hospitals in Ukraine

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Category:Russian war crimes in Ukraine

Category:War crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine