Three years after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, dramatically escalating an international armed conflict that began in 2014, people continue to bear the burden of the war’s devastation as seen through their lost lives, lost limbs and lost homes. The resulting medical humanitarian needs are clearer than ever. The strain on Ukraine’s medical services has only […]
Read More… from Ukraine: People’s medical humanitarian needs remain as urgent as ever
The working day at the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mobile clinic in Pavlohrad, eastern Ukraine, is almost over. Dr. Oleksandr Hontariev is counting the boxes of medicines, packing up for the evening, when a volunteer runs into the room. “We have wounded. Can you please help them?” they say. Dr. Hontariev pulls on […]
Read More… from “My town is on fire”: MSF provides assistance to people fleeing from Kurakhove
On the evening of Nov. 17, a densely populated area in Sumy city, northeastern Ukraine was bombed. The explosion struck a courtyard surrounded by residential buildings, damaging 13 structures and dozens of apartments. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) emergency ambulance teams provided medical assistance to injured residents. According to preliminary information from local authorities, […]
Read More… from Sumy, Ukraine: “It’s hard when you see the lifeless bodies of children”
On Oct. 25, a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro came under attack. At least 21 people were injured, and five people, including a child, lost their lives. “Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns this Russian attack on a residential area, including the hospital where MSF ambulances refer patients. Our teams […]
“It’s insufferable. Everything hurts. It’s hard to breathe; it burns everywhere.” A 45-year-old man whispers these words, barely moving his lips, as he waits for medical evacuation from a frontline hospital in the Donetsk region. He was severely injured in shelling, suffering from burns to 90 per cent of his body, including his internal organs. […]
Read More… from Ukraine: MSF ambulances – In transit for survival
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) ambulances in Ukraine have transported more than 8,000 patients from hospitals near the frontline between January and July 2024, more than half with burn, blast and other injuries directly caused by the fighting. This represents a 30 per cent increase from the previous six months and shows the alarming […]
Natalia Kyshnir, 56, survived the siege of Mariupol but was forced to make the terrible choice of staying to look after her mother or leaving for safety with her son. She escaped to Vinnytsia but was left traumatised by her experiences. After receiving psychological support from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams, she says […]
Read More… from Ukraine: “After seeing the psychologist, I felt like a new person”
Anastasia Nedieva has been working with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) since 2015 as a social worker in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, running mobile clinics in villages without doctors or pharmacies. In 2019, Anastasia moved to the city of Mariupol with her daughter and husband, but they were forced to flee their home after […]
Read More… from Ukraine: “Not being able to talk about trauma is itself a symptom of PTSD”
A woman with short grey hair and a navy-blue medical uniform shows an underground room with beige walls covered in parallel tubes and wires connected to a small pendant lamp. Although the light is not very bright, it is present. The room is equipped with an examination couch, medical equipment, and drugs. If required, medical […]
Read More… from Ukraine: War-torn Minds, navigating mental health issues amid war