Russian attack on Kharkiv damages maternity hospital, sending patients fleeing

A Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Friday damaged a maternity hospital, terrifying patients and staff as windows shattered and glass rained down on hospital beds, according to officials.

Authorities said three women and three newborns suffered acute stress and were given medical assistance.

Among those affected was Oleksandra Lavrynenko, who had just given birth. “We heard a loud whistle and immediately ran to our baby. Then the explosion hit and the windows blew out,” she recounted. She and her husband rushed to take their one-day-old son Maksym to a shelter.

“It was terrifying. I was so full of adrenaline I forgot about my stitches,” Lavrynenko said, lying beside her baby, still shaken.

“It’s incredibly difficult and frightening to give birth during wartime,” she added.

Glass fragments were scattered throughout the hospital, prompting staff and patients to prepare to evacuate from the building.

Dr. Oleksandr Kondriatskyi, a physician at the facility, said the part of the building that includes the delivery and surgical units had been hit.

“Everyone- patients and staff was under extreme stress,” he said, noting some of the women had only recently undergone surgery.

The attack is part of a broader escalation in Russian aerial assaults, with intensified missile and drone strikes across Ukraine in recent weeks. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been a frequent target since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.

According to Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov, nine people were injured in Kharkiv and an apartment building was damaged.

Elsewhere in the region, one person was killed and at least five others were injured in separate Russian attacks over the past 24 hours.

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