Ukraine from inside part 2

After a seemingly endless train journey, which was interrupted multiple by the airstrikes on Kyiv while we were passing through, I was able to visit the Veterans’ Hospital run by the Dnipro Regional Administration. It is applying for funding from KfW as part of a preliminary study to renovate and re-equip rehabilitation centres in Ukraine. The hospital is unique in that, as a civilian facility, it is situated on the grounds of the Mechnikov Military Hospital and has, over the years, provided continuous support to generations of veterans from the Second World War, the war in Afghanistan, the Chernobyl disaster and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Together, we toured the hospital in detail and identified where investments in building works and equipment would yield the greatest benefit for patients of all genders. Up to 15 per cent of those treated here are women, a fact that is all too easily forgotten. They make an indispensable contribution in various roles within the Ukrainian armed forces and must be cared for in the event of injuries and other traumas.