WHO Report: Health Attacks in Ukraine Surge 20% in 2025

Since 24 February 2022, WHO has verified at least 2,881 attacks on health care, affecting hospitals, clinics, ambulances, warehouses and health personnel.

Ukraine has recorded its highest number of attacks on health care facilities in 2025 since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with incidents rising nearly 20 per cent compared to 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported.

As the war enters its fifth year, WHO says Ukraine’s health system is under unprecedented strain — battered by direct strikes on hospitals and ambulances, and by the cascading collapse of essential civilian infrastructure, particularly the power grid.

Since 24 February 2022, WHO has verified at least 2,881 attacks on health care, affecting hospitals, clinics, ambulances, warehouses and health personnel.

Mounting Casualties and Systemic Damage

In the third quarter of 2025 alone, 184 attacks were recorded — the highest quarterly figure since the invasion began — leaving 12 people dead and 110 injured, including health workers and patients.

Over four years of war, attacks on health care have killed 233 people and injured 930, according to WHO data. The organization notes that such attacks violate international humanitarian law.

Strikes on medical warehouses have also tripled in 2025 compared to the previous year, disrupting supply chains and hampering delivery of essential medicines nationwide.

“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 WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“Ultimately, the best medicine is peace.”

A Dual Crisis: Bombardment and Blackouts

Health services face pressure on two fronts: direct targeting and infrastructure collapse.

Repeated attacks on thermal power plants — key pillars of Ukraine’s energy system — have left millions without heating, electricity or water during one of the harshest winters of the conflict.

In January 2026, a strike in Kyiv left nearly 6,000 buildings without heat in sub-zero temperatures, forcing an estimated 600,000 residents to flee the capital.

“What we are witnessing in Ukraine is a devastating cycle,” said Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative to Ukraine.

“At –20°C, water in the pipes freezes, bursts them, floods buildings with ice… Behind every system breakdown are families and health-care workers trying to save lives while their own homes are without heat.”

Health services delivered in functioning hospitals are often undermined when patients return to freezing apartments without electricity or running water — turning recovery into a daily survival challenge.

Frontline Communities in Crisis

A WHO assessment conducted in December 2025 found that 59 per cent of people in frontline areas rated their health as poor or very poor, compared to 47 per cent in non-frontline regions.

Mental health indicators are particularly alarming:

• 72 per cent of people surveyed reported anxiety or depression in the past year

• Only one in five sought professional help

Noncommunicable diseases are also worsening. One in four Ukrainians now experiences dangerously high blood pressure, while eight in ten report difficulty accessing essential medicines.

“Ukraine's health system needs our sustained support,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

“This is not abstract – it's a heart patient who can't find blood pressure medication, an amputee waiting months for a prosthetic, a teenager too afraid to leave the house.”

Rehabilitation and Medicine Shortages

Demand for trauma surgery, blood products, infection control and rehabilitation has surged due to war-related injuries.

Yet rehabilitation capacity remains critically limited:

• Only 4 per cent of hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation

• Just 3 per cent offer assistive technologies such as prosthetics

Access to medicines remains one of the most persistent barriers to care, with four out of five people reporting difficulties — primarily due to high prices (71 per cent). In frontline areas, closed pharmacies and security risks compound shortages.

WHO’s Response and 2026 Funding Appeal

In 2025, WHO reached 1.9 million people across Ukraine through medical supplies, service delivery and health system support.

Key interventions included:

• Delivering trauma care supplies to 954 facilities

• Supporting 1,200 medical evacuations

• Conducting outreach in 131 hard-to-reach locations

• Installing 284 generators across 23 oblasts to keep hospitals operational

• Training 2,500 health workers and rebuilding damaged facilities

For 2026, WHO is appealing for US$42 million to sustain essential services and protect access to care for 700,000 people.

A Health System Under Siege

Despite intermittent diplomatic efforts toward peace, WHO warns that the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.

With health infrastructure repeatedly targeted and energy systems crippled, Ukraine’s medical system is fighting not only disease and trauma, but also cold, displacement and exhaustion.

As the war grinds into its fifth year, the figures paint a stark picture: escalating attacks, deepening health needs, and a system surviving through international support — but still under siege.