MSF Ukraine: Emergency Statement following the recent attacks on Kyiv

03 September 2026 - “I saw the ground shaking and then my own blood flowing”. Non-stop drone attacks on Kyiv are destroying people both physically and mentally. ​

For over a week now, the Russian military has maintained intense strikes around the clock on Kyiv and the immediate surroundings. Whether targeted or indiscriminate, many of the missiles and drones have struck residential buildings, medical facilities, and warehouses for pharmaceutical supply, food and consumer goods - in clear violation of international humanitarian law. ​ ​

Between 27 August and 3 September, according to the most recent reports by city and region authorities, at least 51 people have been killed and nearly 100 ​ injured in Kyiv region. ​ ​

“I saw the ground shaking, I saw my own blood flowing, and I started crawling towards a shelter,” recalls Artem*, a patient of Médecins Sans Frontières, who was wounded during an attack on the village of Pohreby in Kyiv region. He was working in a food warehouse that was hit by a drone. “I was on my way to a shelter and talking on the phone. I didn’t make it: I looked back and saw something flying towards me, and then I fell. The tourniquet was applied in time and I was taken to hospital. I was worried not for myself, but for my colleagues who were still inside the building.” ​

An MSF team is providing Artem with acute rehabilitation in one of Kyiv’s largest hospitals. He has sustained injuries to both legs: a fracture in his right leg and a torn tendon in his left. His whole body is lacerated by shrapnel. ​ ​

“It is very important to start rehabilitation as soon as possible and get the patient into an upright position,” explains Maksym Riabokon, supervisor of physiotherapy at MSF, “because if a person lies down, they are at risk of muscle atrophy and congestive pneumonia, and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted. Our main task is to make the patient self-sufficient and independent, to give them the tools and help them as soon as they have stabilised and undergone surgery.” Artem is currently learning to walk with the aid of a walking frame and is also seeing our psychologists. ​

The air raid alerts and explosions, which have become almost constant in Kyiv and the region, are also affecting the psychological condition of patients. “It’s very draining. People are trying to carry on with their work, but this sense of exhaustion is very noticeable, and people are getting more and more tired. Especially given that it is currently impossible to get around Kyiv normally: bridges are being closed, and some metro stations are out of service. Patients tell us that their families are experiencing significant levels of stress. School and kindergarten activities are disrupted during alerts, while parents worry about their children and their safety,” says Lesia Martseniuk, MSF mental health supervisor. ​ ​

The sleepless nights punctuated by the sounds of massive explosions, and the non-stop background anxiety, are felt deeply by MSF staff and their families in Kyiv. The whole of society in Kyiv is suffering. MSF condemns the Russian armed forces' strikes on civilian infrastructure, and on populated residential areas. ​

*The patient’s name has been changed at his request to preserve his anonymity.

ENDS