Number of premature births rises in Ukraine near front line
In Ukraine, especially in regions near the front line, the number of premature births (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) is rising, with some areas seeing the rate nearly double since the start of Russia's invasion in 2022. According to experts, the causes of premature births are complex, but the deep psychological and physical stress that war places on pregnant women contributes to this. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
In the Zaporizhzhia Regional Perinatal Center, nurse Viktoria Bogdanova changes the diaper of a premature baby in a temperature-controlled incubator (photo by AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, May 6, 2026).
In another photo, Margarita Nekhorosheva holds her son Mark in the shelter of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Children's Hospital (May 7, 2026, AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka). A medical worker checks the temperature of a premature baby in an incubator (May 6, 2026, AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka).
Maria Skladan, her husband Vladislav, and daughter Elina took a photo after being discharged from the perinatal center (May 6, 2026, AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka). The head of the neonatal department, Dr. Natalia Boguslavskaya, is also captured in a photo taken on the same day.
Associated Press also provided video footage shot by Vasilisa Stepanenko.