A soldier from the 56th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, Serhiy Kuznetsov, died on June 9, 2026, at the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital for Emergency Medical Care. Activists and volunteers have since raised concerns that his death was not solely due to his injuries but rather the hospital’s negligence.
Serhiy had been receiving treatment for two months for shrapnel wounds to his legs, abdomen, and back. His mother, Halyna Kuznetsova, reported that he was moved between three departments during his stay, spending a significant amount of time in intensive care.
“He had a spinal injury. They didn’t treat that wound properly; it was oozing. His temperature rose to nearly 40 degrees. They administered injections, and then he started having breathing attacks. He suffocated while lying in intensive care, and they told us there was no pain relief available,” Halyna recounted.
On June 11, volunteer Oksana Korchynska revealed on Facebook that the family had spent over 30,000 hryvnias on medications from the hospital pharmacy.
The process to transfer Serhiy to another facility began on June 6, when he was still conscious and communicated with his mother about feeling unwell. However, after a cardiac examination on June 7 indicated his heart was functioning normally, he suffered a cardiac arrest the following day.
“The worst part is that the hospital receives funds from the state for treating soldiers. They want the money but don’t want to provide proper care. I believe they should treat patients first and then receive funding,” Halyna expressed.
Following Serhiy’s death, activists called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding it and demanded the dismissal of the hospital’s director, Viktor Dorosh. This appeal was backed by over 30 activists, including veteran and lawyer Masi Naiem, who noted that this is not the first time the hospital has faced scrutiny. In winter 2026, the facility lost power due to Russian shelling, leaving staff to operate in darkness without access to essential equipment for two hours.
“Among those affected were emergency service employees injured by a subsequent strike on the rescue operation site. Two critically injured patients were not transferred to operating rooms in time due to non-functioning elevators, which deprived them of a chance for survival,” the statement highlighted.
In response to inquiries about the lack of backup power during the January 9 incident, the Kyiv City Health Department stated that the first ambulances arrived at 1:50 AM, while the city’s electricity was lost at 3:18 AM. A technical failure prevented the automatic activation of the main generator, leading to reliance on mobile generators until the main diesel generator was operational by 3:40 AM. The department claimed no patients were harmed due to the blackout.
In April 2026, over 80 patronage services from various brigades requested the Medical Forces Command to exclude this hospital from the route for injured soldiers. A commission had found “systematic violations of patient rights, corruption, and inadequate treatment of wounded servicemen, as well as criminal inaction by the hospital’s management.”
Dr. Olena Bobrovnyk, an anesthesiologist at the hospital, confirmed that military patients had not been admitted for a month following the commission’s findings, but the hospital resumed accepting them afterward. She acknowledged that while the medical team did their best, the hospital’s management was accountable for poor organization, including insufficient staff, lack of medications, and inadequate equipment.
“I saw him constantly grasping at his back, and he underwent numerous tests daily. He spoke with me, but later I saw him on a ventilator. Everything was done timely, but this is intensive care, where complications can arise for both military and civilian patients. I believe the doctor has been made a scapegoat. The real issue lies with the management that has ignored these problems for years,” Bobrovnyk stated.
She added that one doctor and one nurse in the intensive care unit often had to manage six to eight patients, complicating their ability to respond quickly in critical situations.
As a publicly owned facility, the hospital is funded by the city. In 2026, over 18.6 million hryvnias were allocated for purchasing equipment, and more than 31.8 million for capital repairs. Additionally, the hospital receives funding through the medical guarantee program financed by the National Health Service. Reports indicate that the hospital had already received 219 million hryvnias in 2026 for various medical services, which should be provided to patients at no cost.
In light of the public outcry and requests for transparency, the Kyiv Health Department has initiated a comprehensive review of the hospital’s operations. Preliminary findings have uncovered several violations, and the department is awaiting an official response from Director Viktor Dorosh before making any staffing decisions.
A forensic medical examination is currently underway to determine the cause of Serhiy Kuznetsov’s death. Notably, the Health Department has received only seven formal complaints regarding inadequate medical care at this facility between 2025 and 2026.
Attempts by the media to reach Director Viktor Dorosh for comment were unsuccessful, as he was reportedly unavailable for contact.
The death of soldier Serhiy Kuznetsov has ignited demands for accountability regarding hospital negligence in Kyiv. Activists are urging investigations into the circumstances of his care and the management of the facility amid allegations of systemic issues.