HOSHCHA, UKRAINE ¨C While many Ukrainian hospitals are struggling to cope with the endless influx of wounded, a maternity ward in the western town of Hoshcha lies eerily deserted.
The hospital in Hoshcha has recorded just 139 births so far this year, down from 164 in 2024, and a far cry from just over a decade ago when more than 400 babies were born every year, according to local authorities.
¡°Many young men have died,¡± gynecologist Yevhen Hekkel lamented in his office. ¡°Young men who, bluntly speaking, were supposed to replenish Ukraine¡¯s gene pool.¡±
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