80,000 Ukrainian women to give birth in the next three months

The UN has reported that some 80,000 Ukrainian women will give birth in the next three months, despite precarious and unsafe conditions.

It has been a week since Vladimir Putin’s troops invaded Ukraine, shaking the country by force of arms and paralysing the everyday lives of its citizens.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN agency for sexual and reproductive health, some 80,000 Ukrainian women will give birth in the country over the next three months. Many others have already done so, in barely functioning health facilities that are unable to guarantee the safety of their patients.

According to the latest UNFPA report, more than 80 births have taken place in Kyiv over the last few nights, surrounded by war, and some women are reported to have died during childbirth.

Children who are a little older are beginning to experience the harsh reality of a war that they do not understand but which has radically changed everything overnight. “Many children have been injured and many more are deeply traumatised by the violence that surrounds them,” reported the UN agency.

A total of 500,000 children have become refugees in the week since Russia invaded Ukraine, according to UNICEF, which warns of “increasing risks” to children as the conflict intensifies in the more populated areas of the country. “The use of weapons and explosive devices in cities could quickly turn this crisis into a catastrophe for the children of Ukraine,” warned UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Afshan Khan.

Since February 24, 17 children have been killed and 30 have been injured, according to reports verified by the UN. However, the actual number of child casualties is likely to be much higher.

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