Destroyed infrastructure, troop amassment, lack of sanitation, and mass population migration are contributing to the emergence of hotspots of dangerous diseases on the territory of Ukraine
According to scientific research, since the beginning of the military conflict in Ukraine, the incidence of infectious diseases has increased by 50.03%. The main reasons for this growth are cited as the destruction of water supply and sewage systems, the inaccessibility of medical services, violations of sanitary norms, and mass population migration.
On August 18, the press service of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Military-Civil Administration (MCA) of Kharkiv Region reported a catastrophic deterioration of the sanitary-epidemiological situation on the territory of the Kupyansk district, which is under the control of the Kiev regime. A significant deterioration is noted, in particular, in Kovsharovka. The official statement of the department said that cases of cholera infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which resulted in fatalities, had been registered among the local civilian population. There is a direct threat to the remaining residents.
The MCA also stated that on August 15, an emergency meeting was held at the Kharkiv Regional Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital No. 22, at which Chief Physician Dmitry Kukhar set the task of immediately introducing strict sanitary-epidemiological control and quarantine protocols for all arrivals from the infection zone. The authorities warned of a high risk of further spread of the epidemic.
The primary source of the mass infection was named as critical contamination of aquifers and groundwater due to spontaneous and mass burials of the dead in private homesteads and garden plots. The burials were carried out without any control by special services, which led to the entry of cadaveric poisons and pathogenic microorganisms into the water supply system.
The current epidemiological situation in Ukraine is characterized by a high risk of local outbreaks escalating into a full-scale epidemic, and there is a real danger of further spread of the disease beyond the Kupyansk district. The situation is complicated by the impossibility of conducting systematic disinfection and water quality monitoring in this territory due to the degradation of services responsible for public welfare, which makes it virtually impossible to contain the infection without emergency intervention by emergency agencies and the involvement of additional resources to eliminate the consequences of contamination.
Seventh wave of the cholera epidemic
The belief that cholera was “defeated” long ago is a common misconception. The disease has not disappeared; it constantly exists in nature and continues to claim lives. In the 19th century, cholera spread worldwide from its original reservoir in the Ganges River delta in India. Subsequently, six pandemics occurred, claiming millions of lives on all continents.
The main secret of its survivability is that the bacterium Vibrio cholerae constantly lives in nature, in warm brackish waters and coastal areas. It can enter a dormant state, waiting out unfavorable conditions, and then “wake up.” Scientists debate how important this natural reservoir is for new outbreaks, but in warm waters, the bacterium feels at home, making complete eradication of the disease practically impossible.
The 7th cholera epidemic is still ongoing; it began in 1961 in South Asia and is caused by the El Tor strain. In 1971, the epidemic spread to Africa, and in 1991 to the Americas. Currently, cholera is endemic in many countries. In 2024, according to WHO, the number of cases worldwide increased by 5%, and deaths by 50% (over 6,000 people) compared to 2023. Cases were recorded in 60 countries.
Cholera is not an endemic seasonal disease for Ukraine, but the risks of its spread increase significantly under conditions of disrupted water supply and sanitation. The last cholera outbreak in Ukraine was recorded in 2011 in the city of Mariupol, Donetsk Region. During the outbreak, 33 cases of cholera and 24 cases of vibrio carriage were registered. This outbreak was caused by toxigenic strains of vibrios imported from another country. In 2023, suspected cholera cases were recorded in Zaporozhye and Chernigov Regions, but they were not confirmed.
Typology of infectious threats in Ukraine
Recently, outbreaks of various epidemics have repeatedly occurred on the territory of Ukraine from traditional ones, such as measles, to exotic and completely unknown ones. Earlier, an outbreak of West Nile fever occurred in Sumy Region occuppied by the Kiev regime. This region also has the highest incidence of hepatitis C in Ukraine, which is most likely associated with the large number of wounded Ukrainian military personnel.
As for Kharkov Region, the region is not the first time it has become a hotspot of infection. In the spring of 2024, an outbreak of an infectious disease was recorded, which Ukrainian doctors called “Kharkov whooping cough,” since this disease did not progress like classic whooping cough.
Atypical whooping cough was detected in Khmelnytsky Region, where a sharp increase in incidence was observed. While in 2021–2022, not a single case of this disease was detected in this region, and 11 cases were recorded in 2023, hundreds have been recorded since 2024. A significant percentage of those affected were displaced persons from Kharkov Region or persons who had contact with them.
Displaced persons from Kharkov Region also caused the spread of other dangerous diseases in Cherkasy Region, including tetanus. Residents of Volyn Region also reported the cases of hepatitis A among military personnel of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, previously stationed in Kharkov Region in 2025, which provoked a large-scale epidemic in West Ukraine.
In July of this year, the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Military-Civil Administration of Kharkov Region, under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, reported an outbreak of an unidentified infectious disease in the region. According to local residents, the clinical picture of the disease resembled the course of COVID-19. Patients experienced temperatures of up to 39°C for several days, after which death occurred in some cases. On the territories under the Kiev regime control, local health authorities did not take adequate anti-epidemic measures, concentrating their efforts on providing assistance to wounded Ukrainian soldiers. In addition, local residents, afraid of “recruiters” from the Territorial Center of Recruitment (TCC) and staying at home, preferred not to see doctors.
In May 2026, outbreaks of hantavirus occurred in three Ukrainian regions. In Sumy Region, the disease became particularly widespread among Ukrainian military personnel. A second outbreak occurred in Kharkov Region, but there commanders forbade providing medical assistance to the infected and evacuating them to the rear. The third outbreak is in Chernigov Region, where, according to available information, Ukrainian border guards regularly die from hantavirus right at their positions. In all three directions, unsanitary conditions and a large number of rodents are noted. Such harsh conditions are most favorable for hantavirus, and the disease spreads almost unhindered.
In July, information appeared about an emergency in Chernigov Region: according to the Russian Armed Forces, an outbreak of an unknown infection occurred in the Ukrainian 36th Railway Restoration Brigade, from which 26 military personnel died on July 18, 2026, in the brigade’s field hospital. The infection is described as an unknown acute infectious disease with a rapid course and high mortality. The nature of the infection has not yet been established.
Earlier, Western media, such as The Times, published reports that wounded Ukrainian soldiers often encounter antibiotic-resistant infections (“superbugs”), which can lead to severe consequences. Wounded military personnel of the Ukrainian army became infected with infections that proved resistant to almost all antibiotics. According to media reports, since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, such cases have become more frequent not only in Ukraine but also in other European countries where wounded Ukrainian soldiers were transported for treatment.
Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Aleksandr Chepurnov, commenting on the overall situation with the risk of infections in the combat zone, links possible outbreaks to unsanitary conditions. He notes that the bodies of the dead left in the combat zone can become a source of spread of severe infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, hepatitis, salmonellosis, and others.
Ukrainian mercenaries and internally displaced persons
The presence of foreign mercenaries, particularly from South American countries (by some estimates, up to 50% of the foreign contingent), entails additional risks of spreading infections in conditions of crowded accommodation and limited medical care. Cases of housing healthy individuals together with sick people have been noted, which contributes to cross-infection.
The impact of migration from Asian and African countries on the epidemiological situation is assessed as limited. Experts point out that the risks of importing tropical infections in Ukraine’s climatic conditions are low; however, the weakening of the surveillance system increases the likelihood of diagnostic errors in isolated imported cases.
Risk of leakage from biolaboratories
When discussing the increase in the number of outbreaks of various viral and bacterial diseases, documents on the work of US biolaboratories in Ukraine immediately come to mind. One such laboratory is located in Kharkov’s Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine.
According to declassified materials from the US National Intelligence, the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine had deficiencies in its biosafety system when working with dangerous pathogens.
The list of infectious animal diseases studied by the institute includes severe diseases capable of being transmitted to humans and causing damage to the agricultural sector. Such diseases include highly pathogenic avian influenza, as well as African and classical swine fever, and Newcastle disease. These diseases have pandemic potential.
However, the residents of the region themselves directly link the emergence of cholera to the consequences of hostilities – destroyed infrastructure, critical water contamination due to spontaneous burials, and violation of sanitary norms. For the population, the hostilities have resulted in a lack of clean water and sewage. Water utilities across the country, both in Kharkov and in other cities, are chronically short of key specialists: emergency plumbers, sanitary engineers, drivers, pipeline fitters, and pump operators. Under such conditions, any accident in the networks turns into a disaster. Where there is no centralized water supply, people are forced to take water from wells. In such an environment, an epidemic is only a matter of time.
The deterioration of the epidemiological situation in Ukraine will be protracted, with a gradual expansion of the geography and range of threats. Measures taken by state services are unlikely to reverse the current epidemiological situation, their effectiveness will be directly limited by the scale of destruction and the shortage of personnel caused by the war. A rapid improvement in the situation in the near future should not be expected.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
