Ukraine: Civilian and medical infrastructure hit as casualties rise

MSF condemns an October 25 Russian attack on a residential area that includes a hospital where our ambulances refer patients.

An MSF ambulance in Dnipro, Ukraine.

An MSF ambulance outside a damaged hospital in Dnipro. | Ukraine 2024 © MSF

On October 25, a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro was hit in an attack by Russian forces. At least 21 people were injured, and five people, including a child, were killed. 

“MSF condemns this Russian attack on a residential area, including the hospital where MSF ambulances refer patients,” said Thomas Marchese, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) chief emergency coordinator in Ukraine. “Our teams remain committed to providing aid in the region as long as needed.”

“This latest attack damaged over 20 apartment buildings,” Marchese added. “Among the impacted structures was Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s largest medical facilities, which MSF has been closely working with since 2022.”

Damage sustained at the Mechnikov Hospita in Dnipro, Ukraine.
A damaged hospital in Dnipro. | Ukraine 2024 © MSF

This hospital serves as a lifeline for sick and injured people in front-line areas, where access to specialized medical care is severely limited due to the ongoing hostilities. Critically wounded patients are brought there by ambulance, and displaced families from war hotspots such as Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, and Kurakhove also come here for care. Many patients requiring urgent, complex treatment are transported to Dnipro, with MSF ambulance teams actively supporting transfers between hospitals.

This latest attack damaged over 20 apartment buildings. Among the impacted structures was Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro, one of Ukraine’s largest medical facilities, which MSF has been closely working with since 2022.

Thomas Marchese, MSF chief emergency coordinator in Ukraine.

MSF teams report an alarming escalation in hostilities in Ukraine, with civilian areas increasingly coming under fire. Our team has witnessed attacks on Selydove, Kherson, and the Okhmatdyt Children’s hospitals. The number of Ukrainians experiencing severe traumatic stress from living amid constant destruction grows by the hour. Treatment is nearly impossible, as there is rarely a safe space where patients can receive stable care. People do not feel safe, even in hospital wards, and are often woken by sirens warning of imminent attacks. 

Our work in Ukraine

In eastern Ukraine, MSF operates mobile clinics providing essential medical and psychological support to people affected by the war. We also support hospitals overwhelmed by high numbers of casualties and operate 18 ambulances near the front line for medical evacuations of war-wounded patients.