Ukraine: MSF cares for war-wounded amid relentless attacks in Dobropillia
A former city of refuge for nearby towns has come under increasing attack. MSF is supporting the healthcare system and treating patients caught in the violence.
Dobropillia, Donetsk region — less than 12 miles from the frontline in eastern Ukraine — has recently faced some of the worst shelling since the escalation of the war in 2022. As attacks continue, MSF teams are working to provide urgent medical care to those impacted by the violence.
“People tell us how they ran out of burning houses,” says Oleksandr Makarevych, MSF emergency manager in Ukraine.
“Some were trapped inside their flats as the fire spread and couldn’t escape. One woman told us that her neighbours died in the bathroom, where they tried to hide during the attack.”
“When sirens go off, people have only seconds to reach shelters — and many elderly people, people with disabilities, or families with children cannot make it in time”
Permanent stress
Dobropillia, a city of miners and farmers, was once home to almost 40,000 people. Now, only 20,000 people remain, despite the growing danger.
Because of its location, war-wounded and vulnerable people from nearby towns — including Pokrovsk, Myrnohrad, and Kostiantynivka — were evacuated to Dobropillia for emergency medical care. However, now the city is under constant threat.
“People are living under permanent stress,” says Thomas Marchese, MSF Programme Director in Ukraine.
“Missile attacks have become more frequent. When sirens go off, people have only seconds to reach shelters — and many elderly people, people with disabilities, or families with children cannot make it in time.
“Even in basements they aren’t completely safe. If a building collapses, people could be trapped under rubble. For the past three years of full-scale war, we’ve witnessed these devastating consequences repeatedly — in Donetsk region, Sumy, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia.”
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Medical evacuations
Since 2022, MSF ambulances have been working closely with Dobropillia’s hospital, helping to transport patients to safer facilities further from the frontlines.
Following the massive attack at the beginning of March, which killed 11 people and injured at least 50, MSF's ambulance teams referred 25 patients from Dobropillia to hospitals in Dnipro, five of whom were in critical condition.
Among those evacuated was a woman suffering severe burns to her face and eyes, along with blast injuries and head trauma. She and her husband had briefly left Dobropillia to stay with relatives in Dnipro but returned home to collect belongings — when shelling began.
“There were so many wounded that even the hospital corridors were filled with patients,” says Serhii Tkachenko, MSF medic. “[The patient’s] oxygen levels were dangerously low, so we transported her with oxygen support.”
Another patient was a young man with an open fracture to his leg, as well as blast injuries, head, and chest trauma.
“He ran to help others after the first explosion but was injured when more shells landed,” says Hennadii Kyslytsia, MSF doctor. “We managed his pain and monitored his vital signs during the referral.”
Profound damage
What MSF teams see in Dobropillia is alarming: burned-out apartment blocks, scorched land, and desperate shortages of essential medicines and services. Local authorities continue to call on residents to evacuate.
The nearest transit centre for displaced people is in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, where MSF mobile clinics also operate.
“Sometimes, patients arrive with severe injuries that were left untreated for two or three days. By the time they get to us, their condition is critical,” says Marchese.
MSF teams will continue to provide emergency care, evacuate the war-wounded, and support hospitals near the frontline.
Even if the war ends tomorrow, the humanitarian and medical needs in Ukraine — especially in conflict areas — will remain enormous. People will need housing, access to medical care, and psychological support to recover from trauma and stress.
MSF in Ukraine
Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams were already working in Ukraine before the escalation in February 2022.
From the first days of the crisis, we have worked to deliver emergency medical aid to people still in Ukraine, as well as those seeking safety in neighbouring countries.