As Ukrainians mark a grim anniversary, one brutal year of war and devastation, new data is shining a light on the particularly gruesome impacts of Russia’s attacks on health-care facilities and workers – atrocities that human rights advocates say amount to war crimes.
More than 700 attacks have targeted hospitals, health facilities and staff since the Feb. 24, 2022, Russian invasion, according to data verified by five organizations working inside Ukraine.
Read more: One year on, Ukrainians in Canada reflect on Russia’s war: ‘You feel like a traitor’ Read next: How rising food prices make eating healthy a big-time struggle for some Canadians Their report, entitled Destruction and Devastation: One Year of Russia’s Assault on Ukraine’s Health Care System chronicles the stark realities faced by health workers and patients in Ukraine, as health facilities have been hit multiple times by missiles and attacks.
Dozens of doctors and nurses and other health staff bravely providing medical treatment have been killed and injured. Others have been threatened, imprisoned, taken hostage and forced to work under Russian occupation, the report states.