Premature births are rising in several Ukrainian regions near the front line, where war-driven stress on pregnant women appears to be taking a toll, according to the Associated Press (AP). Doctors in cities like Zaporizhzhia keep fragile newborns alive between air raid sirens, in wards with windows boarded up against Russian blast waves. The trend compounds a deepening crisis as fewer Ukrainian women give birth at all.

How far the rate has climbed

In Kherson Oblast, early births climbed from 5.4% of deliveries in 2019 to 9.8% by 2025 — close to twice the rate, UN figures show.  Zaporizhzhia Oblast rose from 5.7% to 7.6%, and Poltava Oblast from 7.7% to 9.8% over the same period. The front line runs through Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Poltava sits farther back but takes regular aerial strikes. Fewer Ukrainian women are giving birth overall, yet a larger share of births now come early, AP reported.

Keeping newborns alive under bombardment

The medical work is delicate and unforgiving. In a Zaporizhzhia intensive care unit, one baby born at 30 weeks weighs just 700 grams, far below the 2,500-gram threshold the World Health Organization (WHO) uses for low birth weight. Marharyta Nekhoroshyva's son arrived even earlier, at 26 weeks and 940 grams. Now nine months old, he still battles chronic breathing problems while she raises him alone, her husband fighting in the war.

Doctors must manage oxygen precisely, since too much risks abnormal blood-vessel growth in the eyes and, in severe cases, blindness, said Dr. Andrii Lobanov, who heads neonatal intensive care at Zaporizhzhia's children's hospital. When sirens sound, staff stay beside the incubators rather than risk moving the babies.

The danger is not abstract. Dr. Nataliia Bohuslavska, who runs the neonatal unit at the city's maternity hospital, opened a shift last month to alarms warning of incoming missiles. Hours later, a Russian glide bomb hit a commercial part of the city and killed at least 12 people. Her team delivered a baby and performed two cesareans that same day, while treating a woman who miscarried after witnessing an airstrike.

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The longer cost

Surviving the delivery is only the start. Premature babies often need years of treatment for respiratory, neurological, and developmental conditions, a heavy bill for a country at war. Hospital services get hit "both literally and metaphorically," said Dr. Andrew Weeks, a maternal-health professor at the University of Liverpool.

It also lands on a country whose birth rate has collapsed to about one child per woman — less than half the 2.1 a population needs simply to hold steady.

Ukraine officially apologized to the Greek government on Friday following the discovery of a Ukrainian sea drone near the Ionian island of Lefkada. The unexpected discovery of the uncrewed surface vessel prompted swift diplomatic action from Athens, which raised serious safety and environmental concerns regarding the military presence in Greek territorial waters.

Last week, the Greek government escalated the issue by lodging a formal double diplomatic demarche. Athens directed its official protests to both the Ukrainian Embassy located in the Greek capital and directly to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv. Greek authorities clearly stated that the stray sea drone severely compromised the safety of civilian maritime navigation in the busy Ionian Sea, which is a popular tourist destination both for Greeks and foreigners. Experts noted that any accidental detonation or collision involving the device could have led to human casualties and inflicted extensive environmental damage on the region’s marine ecosystem.

Ukraine’s response to Greece

In direct response to the diplomatic protest from Athens, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi released a public statement on social media late on Friday evening, addressing the issue. Tykhyi offered a formal apology on behalf of Ukraine, attributing the drone’s errant journey into Greek waters to the unpredictable circumstances generated by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian side expresses its apologies for the incident, stressing that it was the result of circumstances brought about by the ongoing Russian aggression,” Tykhyi wrote in a statement published on Friday. He argued that the discovery off the coast of Lefkada, along with similar events reported in other regions, demonstrates how the current conflict threatens not only Ukraine but also friendly European states and the broader international community.

Addressing the specific maritime concerns raised by the Greek demarche, the Ukrainian foreign ministry noted its strict commitment to international law and the fundamental principles of civilian maritime safety. Ukraine also reiterated a strong, vested interest in preventing any similar occurrences from happening in the future.

Tykhyi pointed out that international and regional security, specifically maritime safety and combating the operations of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” remain urgent, shared priorities for both Greece and Ukraine. Despite the immediate friction caused by the drone’s discovery, Ukraine utilized the statement to emphasize the strength of its bilateral relationship with Greece.

The foreign ministry expressed deep gratitude to the Greek government and the Greek people, praising the country for its steadfast, continuous support of Ukraine since the very first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Kyiv concluded by reaffirming its dedication to deepening these friendly relations and maintaining a constructive dialogue across all areas of mutual interest.