Pregnant women in Ukraine are facing mounting dangers as Russia’s full-scale invasion continues to disrupt maternity care, damage hospitals and intensify the stress of living under repeated attack. More than 168,000 babies were born in Ukraine last year, but some maternity wards have been moved underground, doctors have timed Caesarean sections during breaks in shelling, and hospitals close to the front have reported more preterm births. Maternal mortality in Ukraine rose by more than a third from 2023 to 2024, according to World Health Organization data cited by the United Nations, which linked the increase to attacks on health care facilities, stress and displacement.
The human toll is reflected in individual cases such as that of Inna Slavhorodska, who fled eastern Ukraine for Germany while pregnant in the early days of the invasion and later miscarried at five months. She subsequently returned to Kharkiv, became pregnant again and gave birth by C-section in January. The day after the birth, Russian drones struck the hospital where she and her newborn were recovering, damaging the facility but leaving them unharmed. Her experience illustrates how childbirth in Ukraine has become intertwined with the dangers of aerial attacks, blackouts and repeated displacement.
The broader war environment remains severe. Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said the country has improved interception rates against Russian one-way attack drones from 83% to 91% under what he described as an “Air–Land–Economy” strategy. He also said Ukraine still faces major capability gaps, including the need for newer 155 mm artillery ammunition with greater range, and argued that the conflict cannot be treated as a conventional war of attrition. Those remarks point to continuing pressure on civilian areas even as Ukrainian officials highlight gains in air defense and technological controls.
The continuing risks have also shaped European policy toward displaced Ukrainians. The European Commission has proposed extending temporary protection for Ukrainians in the European Union until March 2028, covering millions who fled after the 2022 invasion. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said the proposal aims to balance humanitarian protection with Ukraine’s defense needs, including limiting eligibility for newly arriving men of military age who are not authorized by Ukrainian authorities to leave. At the same time, Council of Europe human rights commissioner Michael O'Flaherty warned against reducing support, arguing that conditions in Ukraine do not allow for safe and dignified return. Together, the developments underscore a conflict that continues to reverberate from maternity wards in Kharkiv to refugee policy across Europe.