Ukraine News LIVE: Vladimir Putin ‘expands his army to ONE MILLION soldiers’ as despot’s war eroded by 50,000 dead

Nearly 100 dead in attacks on Ukraine’s healthcare system, WHO says

Since the Russian invasion six months ago, there have been 473 verified health-care attacks in Ukraine, killing nearly 100 people, the WHO said on Wednesday.

The European head of the World Health Organization, Hans Kluge, described the attacks as “unscrupulous”.

At least 134 others were injured in addition to the 98 people known to have been killed in verified public health attacks, WHO figures show.

Nearly 400 of the attacks hit healthcare facilities. Dozens of attacks hit transportation, including ambulances, while warehouses, supplies, staff and patients were also damaged.

Jarno Habicht, WHO representative in Ukraine, said the number of attacks on healthcare was unprecedented.

“These attacks are not only a violation of international law, they also pose an obstacle to many who need medical care during the war,” he told reporters in Geneva over a video link from a bunker in Dnipro.

Although the war has had devastating effects on the health and lives of people in Ukraine, the health system has not collapsed, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“But no system can provide optimal health to its people under the stress of war, which is why we continue to call on the Russian Federation to end this war,” Tedros added.