Key facts
- Babies are being born in Kyiv maternity wards during air raid alerts.
- Doctors are delivering babies on wards despite the risk of Russian drone attacks.
- Mothers are adapting to giving birth under threat, with some considering moving.
- The war has intensified air attacks, disrupting daily life and forcing difficult choices.
- Ukraine is experiencing a demographic crisis, with birth rates falling due to the conflict.
In Kyiv, mothers are giving birth amidst ongoing air raids, a stark reality of the escalating conflict with Russia. Doctors at Kyiv City Maternity Hospital No. 2 are making calculated decisions to deliver babies even as air raid alerts warn of approaching Russian jet-propelled drones.
Alyona Bohatyrenko, 32, expressed a mix of resignation and resilience, stating, "I gave birth during an air alert! None of this is normal, but ... you get used to it somehow." Similarly, Yuliia Ishchuk, 26, and her husband Vitalii, a serviceman, recalled the anxiety of her waters breaking at 3 a.m. during an intensified bombing campaign that has been nearly constant since August 27.
Russia's use of high-speed jet drones, more destructive than older models, has led to around-the-clock air attacks in Kyiv and the surrounding region over the past two weeks. Officials anticipate conditions will worsen as winter approaches, with Russia targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. While Russia claims its attacks have military objectives, Ukraine asserts they aim to break civilian morale.
The persistent threats are compelling families like the Ishchuks and Bohatyrenkos to consider moving to safer accommodations within Kyiv or relocating entirely. Vitalii Ishchuk noted the inadequacy of current shelters, stating, "We'll have to move somewhere to find better shelter - not a basement in a school or a store - that's no shelter at all." Bohatyrenko, while ruling out moving overseas, is contemplating a move for the winter due to forecasts of difficult conditions for a small child in Kyiv.
Beneath the hospital, pregnant women seek shelter during fresh air raid warnings. Yuliia Kukhar, 29, observed a reduced number of women in the maternity ward, reflecting a broader demographic crisis in Ukraine. Birth rates were already declining before the full-scale invasion due to economic factors, and the war has further impacted families, with partners serving in the military and general security concerns. Kukhar expressed her changed perspective on having a son, stating, "We wanted a boy. But there's a war going on, and I don't need a boy. Let's just have girls."