Only hospital in Ukraine's Kupiansk shuts down amid relentless Russian attacks
Photo: The only hospital in Kupiansk was closed due to constant Russian attacks (Getty Images)
Kupiansk, a city in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, has been forced to close its only hospital due to relentless Russian attacks. Just in the past 24 hours, Russian forces dropped 18 guided bombs on the community, one of which weighed 1.5 tons, according to Kupiansk’s Military Administration Head Andrii Besedin.
"Unfortunately, the attacks haven’t stopped. Civilians are dying. Eighteen guided bombs were dropped yesterday alone, including a 1.5-ton bomb. More than 60 private homes, apartment buildings, and critical infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed," Besedin said.
Since the beginning of May, Russian troops have launched 1,900 attacks on Kupiansk using various weapons, including guided bombs, FPV drones, artillery, and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). Among the bombs dropped were three 1.5-ton aerial bombs. Over the past two weeks, three residents have been killed and 16 sustained injuries of various degrees of severity.
Besedin noted that around 2,700 people remain in the community, including 1,750 in the city. Despite the ongoing attacks, many residents refuse to evacuate.
"Unfortunately, people refuse to evacuate, even though the entire algorithm has been worked out. The situation is getting worse. Unfortunately, the services that we could provide a week ago, including a service center that supported people with limited mobility and a medical facility, are not available and are temporarily closed due to the high threat of airstrikes targeting these facilities," Besedin explained.
Kupiansk Regional Military Administration Head Andrii Kanashevych confirmed that the hospital stopped admitting patients on May 15 due to worsening security conditions.
The hospital has been under attack since 2022. Then the S-300 was dropped on it. The last time the hospital building was damaged was on March 19, when the enemy conducted 19 air strikes on Kupiansk.
"It's been extremely difficult for doctors to get to work. They haven’t operated from the main building in a long time, because it’s been destroyed. Sometimes, drones aren't overhead for a day or two, but other times, like yesterday, dozens are buzzing nonstop. The hospital still had X-rays, some doctors were available, and they were dispensing medicines and writing prescriptions. Now it will become more difficult for people. Perhaps someone will think about evacuating, but I don’t expect a large-scale departure because of this," Kanashevych said.
Attacks on Kupiansk
On May 3, Russians attacked Kupiansk. A direct air strike hit the rescue unit.
On the night of May 4, Russian aircraft struck Kupiansk again. Residential buildings were destroyed, there were injuries, and large-scale fires in the city.
Also in April, Russian forces dropped bombs on Kupiansk. Three people were injured in the attack.
One of the guided aerial bombs hit the yard of a private residence, causing a fire. At another address, the building of a medical institution was damaged, 8 garage boxes and 3 medical vehicles were on fire.
