President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the mother of a boy born on the night of a Russian attack, women preparing to give birth, and medical staff at a maternity hospital in Kyiv that was damaged by Russian ballistic missile strikes on the night of September 23–24.
During the attack, patients and medical staff were in the shelter. Fortunately, no one was injured. The Head of State emphasized the importance of keeping shelters in maternity hospitals in the capital and other cities in proper condition.
That night, a boy was born in the shelter and named Kyrylo. His mother was born in Luhansk but moved to Kyiv with her husband in 2014 because of the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Aliona Yefremova and congratulated her on the birth of her son. The President also met with women preparing to give birth at the maternity hospital and presented state awards to medical staff.
Nursing assistant Tetiana Buialo was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, III class, while midwives Oksana Reznichenko and Yuliia Rusu received the Medals “For Saved Life.” The Head of State also conferred the honorary title “Honored Doctor of Ukraine” on obstetrician-gynecologists Olena Huziienko, Serhii Tkach, and Liubov Fishchenko.
“I want to thank all of you, the entire staff, for bringing our Ukrainian children into the world and fighting for every life. And this story of a mother giving birth during an air raid alert last night – I understand that it is not an isolated case. Nevertheless, I want to thank you for your humanity, professionalism, and experience. For enabling Ukraine to live,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
The Russian strike partially damaged windows and doors on the maternity hospital’s first through fifth floors, as well as the laundry room windows and the boiler room. That night, the Russians launched three waves of ballistic missiles at Kyiv and also attacked the capital with drones.