More than 900 attacks on health care in Ukraine since Russian invasion began, WHO says

May 27, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Joshua Berlinger, Thom Poole, Tori B. Powell and Matt Meyer, CNN

Updated 4:55 p.m. ET, May 27, 2023
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10:02 a.m. ET, May 27, 2023

More than 900 attacks on health care in Ukraine since Russian invasion began, WHO says

From CNN's Lauren Kent in London

Police officers stand near the site of a missile strike on a hospital, fenced by warning tape on May 26, in Dnipro, Ukraine. 
Police officers stand near the site of a missile strike on a hospital, fenced by warning tape on May 26, in Dnipro, Ukraine.  Yurii Tynnyi/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images

There have been more than 900 attacks on health care in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization

Of the 974 total attacks, 873 of them impacted medical facilities, WHO data shows. In total, strikes on health care in Ukraine have resulted in at least 101 deaths and 136 injuries since February 24, 2022. 

Russia's attack on a medical facility in Dnipro city on Friday is not yet included in the WHO data or death toll, given that the organization's process for verifying attacks takes some time. The most recent attack on health care in Ukraine that is recorded by WHO occurred on May 7, 2023, and impacted a mobile clinic.

"WHO condemns all acts of violence against healthcare. These attacks not only kill and maim but also deprive people of urgently needed care, endanger healthcare providers, and undermine health systems," WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris said in a statement to CNN. 

"Attacks on health care workers, patients, transport, supplies, and health facilities are a flagrant violation of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law and must stop now," Harris added. "We call for an immediate cessation of all activities that endanger the lives of health care workers and patients or impede delivery of essential health services."