in the middle of the war in Ukraine, the difficulties and concern of the last great maternity ward of Donbass

In the Pokrovsk maternity ward, the last one still open in the area, births have been halved since the start of the Russian invasion. And some women sometimes give birth in perilous conditions.

How to give birth in a country immersed in war? Ukraine, entering its third year of war, faces a future demographic crisis. There are fewer babies there because the future is uncertain. According to national data, some regions saw a third fewer births last year. In Donbass, Pokrovskthere remains only one large maternity ward fully equipped with all services, particularly for premature babies: they represent more than 20% of births there, or around twice as much as normal.

Olga holds her little Bodgan in her arms. The little boy will have no problem being looked after; he already has three grown-up daughters aged 20, 19 and 14. For her mother, the pregnancy went well, but like many women here, she gave birth alone. Her husband is on the front. “He has been in the army since 2015, she confides. I know it is near Lyssychansk. I don’t know any more… He doesn’t tell me everything. He tells us as little as possible, otherwise there are tears and worries. So he tells us everything is fine.”

Increasingly difficult pregnancies

In this maternity ward, the accounts are precise: 667 deliveries took place last year. It was double before the war. More worrying: a quarter of these births are premature. In the neonatal intensive care unit, there are currently seven infants. The most fragile arrived at 26 weeks of pregnancy and weighs only 700 grams. Nurse Inna Shmigun is a witness to these increasingly difficult pregnancies: “In the region, the Russians are destroying hospitals, maternity wards, she explains. We need to provide care to more people from a larger area.”

“Many women give birth at home, others give birth in ambulances. More and more of them no longer have time to come here because, closer to the front, there is no longer any ‘offer of care.’

Inna Shmigun, nurse

at franceinfo

Maternity hospitals targeted by Moscow

Ivan Tsyganok has given birth to so many children since he began running this maternity ward in 1998 that he now monitors the pregnancies of babies he has seen born. “If we put ourselves in the minds of the Russians, we are the number one target, he laments. Russians have no sense of what is human. I’m more worried about the babies and the mothers who are here. Are we afraid? For us, no.”