Fact Check: Russia has committed over 1,700 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine.

Fact Check: "Russia has committed over 1,700 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine."

What We Know

The claim that Russia has committed over 1,700 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine is based on various reports and statistics regarding the ongoing conflict. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of May 30, 2023, there were over 1,000 verified attacks on health care facilities since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. This number has continued to rise, with a report from Physicians for Human Rights stating that by February 18, 2025, there were 1,762 attacks documented over three years of conflict.

However, the specific figure of "over 1,700" is not universally accepted as a definitive count. For instance, a study published in Confl Health documented 397 attacks on 281 health care facilities from February 24, 2022, to October 24, 2023, which resulted in significant damage and destruction but did not reach the claimed figure.

Analysis

The claim of "over 1,700 attacks" appears to be an aggregation of various reports, but it lacks clarity and specificity regarding the time frame and the definitions of what constitutes an "attack." The WHO's statistics, while alarming, indicate a verified count of attacks that has not yet reached the claimed figure as of mid-2023. The Physicians for Human Rights report, which cites 1,762 attacks, includes data up to February 2025, which is beyond the current date of October 2023.

Moreover, the reliability of the sources varies. The WHO is a reputable international health organization with a systematic approach to data collection, while reports from organizations like Physicians for Human Rights and various academic studies provide valuable insights but may also reflect advocacy perspectives that could influence their reporting. The study on repetitive strikes highlights the complexity of documenting attacks, emphasizing the challenges in proving intent and the need for rigorous methodologies.

The discrepancy in numbers suggests that while there is a significant issue with attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine, the claim of "over 1,700" may be misleading or premature when considering the context and the time frame of the data being referenced.

Conclusion

Verdict: False
The claim that "Russia has committed over 1,700 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine" is misleading. While there are indeed numerous verified attacks, the specific figure of over 1,700 is not supported by current data as of October 2023. The most reliable sources indicate that the number of verified attacks is still under that threshold, and the context of the data collection must be considered.

Fact Check: Russia has committed over 1,700 attacks on health care facilities in Ukraine.