Red Cross staff members killed in Ukraine as country warned of severe winter health crisis

KYIV, Ukraine -- The World Health Organization issued a stark warning on Thursday about a potential health crisis in Ukraine as the country faces its third winter of war since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The warning came as three Red Cross staff members were killed by artillery strikes in eastern Ukraine Thursday. The deadly strikes, which left two others wounded, hit a Red Cross truck that was delivering firewood in the war-divided Donetsk region, the organization said. Photos released by local police showed the truck engulfed in flames. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia for the attack, which he said warranted a “firm and fundamental” response from the international community. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, added: "Our hearts are broken today as we mourn the loss of our colleagues and care for the injured. This tragedy unleashes a wave of grief all too familiar to those who have lost loved ones in armed conflict.” Relief agencies and Western governments are ramping up civilian aid to Ukraine to protect its hospitals and power systems ahead of the winter as Russia continues daily airstrikes across the country to try and cripple its electricity infrastructure. The World Health Organization warned Thursday that the severe damage to energy and health facilities is leaving millions vulnerable as temperatures drop.

“Ukraine is approaching its third winter amid a full-scale war — likely its most challenging yet. The renewed focus on health is more critical than ever,” Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, told reporters in Kyiv.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the U.N. agency has recorded nearly 2,000 attacks on Ukraine’s health care infrastructure, which it said is having a severe impact on the largely public health system.

“Targeted attacks have damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Frequent power outages are already taking a toll with danger signs for the winter,” Kluge said after a visit to front-line regions in eastern Ukraine.

“This could jeopardize the storage and distribution of vaccines, leading to a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases,” he said. Other concerns, he said, included possible contamination of the water system due to frequent power outages and growing signs of antimicrobial resistance because of a misuse of antibiotics.

“We have stories of wounds that simply will not heal due to resistance to antibiotics," Kluge said. "This could have consequences far beyond Ukraine if drugs become ineffective.”

WHO plans to install 15 heating units at hospitals at risk of further attack as well as a network of treatment clinics in areas where health care access is difficult, as part of initiatives by local Ukrainian authorities and Western governments. The agency is also racing to provide generators and other backup power options, and also help implement state-planned health system reforms.

Early work on those projects, Kluge said, focused on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the east, which has come under frequent Russian attack. Earlier this week, the agency also announced that it had organized the donation of 23 ambulances to assist medical services in mostly front-line areas.

___ Keaten reported from Geneva, Switzerland. Associated Press writers Derek Gatopoulos and Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report. ___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine