“Look at this window in the children's ward – it’s boarded up with a wooden shield,” says Andrii Lobanov, head of the department of anaesthesiology and intensive care for newborns at the perinatal centre, which is part of the “Healthy Family” territorial medical association in the city of Zaporizhzhia.

“This is how we protect the children from glass fragments that can mutilate both patients and equipment during aerial attacks. Another danger for us is the threat of being left without electricity. Incubators with babies directly depend on the power supply. After all, there is artificial ventilation inside each incubator. And when an engineer tells us that there is a power outage in one of the hospital buildings, the medics are seized with horror.” 

Before the full-scale invasion, Andrii worked as a paediatric anaesthesiologist. When Zaporizhzhia began to experience aerial attacks, many of his colleagues left the city, and some went abroad. But Andrii decided to stay. There was so much work that he had to sleep at the hospital for half a year. Later, he took over as head of the department. Qualified male and female doctors and surgical nurses, all of whom are dedicated to their work, remained on his team.

‘We have no tomorrow, only today’

“The war changed everything,” says the anaesthesiologist with a sigh. “In peacetime, doctors worked calmly, developed, and studied. But when the attacks started, we clearly realised: there is no time to get used to it or think for a long time. We have to be at work 24/7 and constantly think about the lives of children.”

Andrii shows the incubators – small glass boxes connected to monitors by multi-coloured wires. Inside are newborns who are only a few days old. These are children who were born prematurely, and each of them has complications and requires constant medical care.

“With the beginning of the full-scale war, fewer people started giving birth in Zaporizhzhia,” says Lobanov. “At the same time, the percentage of complicated births has increased. After all, pregnant women are constantly experiencing stress due to attacks. This leads to complications: placental abruption, bleeding. This happens, in particular, after massive aerial attacks or after long-lasting air raid alerts when a woman is very worried. Women in labour are brought to the Zaporizhzhia perinatal centre by ambulance – including from communities under shelling, such as Kushuhum.”

The village of Kushuhum is located 9 kilometres from the front line and is regularly shelled. Zaporizhzhia is also constantly under attack: residential buildings, medical and educational institutions are damaged.

“Not only mothers – even children in the womb experience great stress. In such cases, we provide more intensive therapy and work with the highest-risk patients to save lives,” explains Lobanov. “In a year, 140 children passed through our department. There are constantly 6–10 babies in our wards. We have no tomorrow – there is only today.”

‘I’m staying – this is my final decision’

There are 10 paediatric doctors working in the anaesthesiology department, who now also have experience working in war conditions.

“I didn't even have the desire to leave Zaporizhzhia,” says Lobanov. “We are so immersed in work that directly affects the lives of children and their parents that the thought didn't even occur. I feel responsibility toward my colleagues and patients. I will never in my life do anything that could harm them. Therefore, I didn't even have a dilemma about 'whether to leave Zaporizhzhia or not.' This was my final decision.”

‘The fear of a power outage is a fear for the lives of tiny patients’

At the beginning of the war, the medics practically lived in the hospital.

“It was a relay race: a few hours of sleep – and back to work, 24/7 without days off. We didn't know what tomorrow would bring. Children had to be transported, and premises had to be refitted. But there were patients who were simply impossible to transport, because any movement of a child – even to the basement – could cost them their life. And that's why we stayed by their side under any conditions.”

The biggest challenge is electricity.

“When we talk about light, it’s not about comfort. It’s a matter of the children’s lives. If the electricity disappears, artificial ventilation, baby heating, and monitoring will stop. Such patients cannot be without power even for five minutes – it could cost them their lives. That's why we are always ready, at the starting blocks.”

And that is why backup power sources are critically important.

Solar power plants were installed at the perinatal centre for two buildings – the obstetric and gynaecological ones. The project was implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine with financial support from the government of Norway. The system provides up to three hours of autonomous operation: operating rooms, intensive care, the laboratory, water supply, and communications will function.

Every year, solar power plants will be able to produce about 130,000–150,000 kWh of electricity, which will save approximately up to one million hryvnias per year, with these funds directed toward the development of medical services.

According to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, since the start of the full-scale invasion and as of 1 April 2026, 2,598 medical objects belonging to 826 healthcare institutions have been damaged or destroyed. Front-line regions, particularly the Zaporizhzhia region, suffer the most.

By investing in renewable energy, UNDP, together with Norway and other partners, helps medical institutions become more resilient to challenges and ready to work even during periods when there is an unstable power supply.

Photo credit: Zaporizhzhia Regional Administration