'I ran because I knew I would die': Russian drones target medics in Ukraine
Ukrainian emergency workers warn of growing Russian attacks on hospitals and ambulances.
"I ran because I knew I would die," stated Inna Lytvynenko, a paramedic who recounted being pursued by Russian drones while attempting to aid an injured woman in Kherson, Ukraine.
Lytvynenko consistently wears bright orange body armor when responding to emergencies. Last June, while treating a woman wounded in a Russian drone attack in Kherson, an FPV drone struck her ambulance. Moments later, she heard a buzzing sound as another drone rapidly approached. "I panicked. I grabbed my trauma bag and started running," she recalled. "I shouted and screamed. I knew that if I stopped, I would die."
After a chase lasting approximately 10 minutes, the drone departed, and Lytvynenko was promptly picked up by police. However, what she termed "safari hunting" persisted. Drones subsequently hit two more vehicles dispatched to transport the injured woman to the hospital. Hours later, a third police car finally succeeded in evacuating her.
Following another "safari" attack earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged increased pressure on Russia to halt deliberate "hunting attacks" on civilians.
According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the frequency of attacks on healthcare facilities suggests they are "a sustained feature of the war." Hospitals and ambulances in Ukraine are increasingly targeted by Russian drone and missile strikes, despite international rules of war, specifically the Geneva Conventions, mandating their protection by all parties to a conflict.
"This is a new normality, which should not be the normality," commented Dr. Jarno Habicht, the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative in Ukraine. The WHO has documented 3,118 attacks on healthcare since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, averaging "two cases per day," Habicht noted.
Since 2023, the number of attacks on healthcare has steadily risen, increasing by 30% in 2024 and 20% last year. This upward trend is projected to continue this year.
A recent report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) indicates that Russia systematically and often deliberately targets Ukrainian medical facilities. The report stated that the frequency of these attacks suggests they are "a sustained feature of the war rather than an episodic consequence of large scale offensives."
Last month, Russian missiles struck a hospital in Kherson, causing significant damage and killing one doctor. Hospital director Olena Tymoshenko believes it was a targeted attack. "It wasn't just one missile, there were three missiles that hit the hospital within a few minutes from each other. It cannot be an accident," she told the BBC.
Moscow frequently employs a "double-tap" tactic, striking the same location twice within a short timeframe. Many believe the second attack intentionally targets first responders arriving to rescue survivors from the initial strike. During a recent large-scale Russian air attack on Kyiv, seven people, including a police officer and a volunteer, were killed after a second strike on the same site.
Recently, Russian forces have also been targeting warehouses belonging to humanitarian organizations. Last month alone, warehouses of three UN agencies, including the WHO, were damaged during air strikes. Habicht stated that the WHO shares the coordinates of its facilities with both Moscow and Kyiv specifically to protect them from strikes.
While missile and drone strikes can be indiscriminate, first-person view (FPV) drone strikes are almost always intentional. A drone pilot views the target via a live feed from the drone's camera, meaning that when an ambulance is hit, it is by design, explained Robin Meldrum, MSF country coordinator in Ukraine.
Dr. Inna Lytvynenko confirmed she was wearing a uniform identifying her as a medical worker, and the ambulance was clearly marked. She believes the drone operator consciously chose to target them.
According to the WHO, strikes on ambulances constitute 20% of all attacks on Ukraine's healthcare system, suggesting these are part of a calculated strategy.
The consequence of such sustained attacks is that the civilian population near the frontline is increasingly cut off from health services. The majority of residents remaining in these areas are elderly individuals often suffering from chronic diseases. Even if they survive air strikes and shelling, without medication and regular check-ups, they face a slow death. Ambulances may be unable to reach them if the risks are too high.
Lytvynenko and her colleagues constantly monitor social media for threats. "It's really scary," she said. "Every time when we take a patient to hospital, we just pray. These drones can appear from anywhere, they can even get through anti-drone nets." In some instances, police are dispatched instead of ambulances.
As the danger zone for FPV drones expands—with both Ukraine and Russia developing drones with increasing ranges—mobile clinics operated by various health organizations have had to relocate their operations further from the frontline.
"Two years ago, we could go up to 5-8km (3.1-5 miles) from the frontline," Meldrum stated. "Now we won't go anywhere within 30km and this distance keeps growing." Over the past 18 months, MSF has ceased regular visits to approximately 80 villages near the front where they had provided health services, Meldrum reported. Recently, it paused ambulance services in Sloviansk, a major city in eastern Ukraine.
"It doesn't feel like we're protected in this environment, and in the way that Russia is conducting the war," Meldrum said. "We don't feel that the rules of war are being respected."