Babies born in bomb shelters amid violence in Ukraine

Amid the violent chaos in Ukraine, a woman taking cover in a Kyiv bomb shelter gave birth to a baby girl.

Hanna Hopko, the former deputy head of Ukraine, shared a photo to Twitter on Friday showing a mother clutching the tiny hand of her newborn daughter, born after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded his neighboring nation.

“Mia was born in shelter this night in stressful environment-bombing of Kyiv. Her mom is happy after this challenging birth giving,” Hopko wrote.

“When Putin kills Ukrainians we call mothers of Russia and Belarus to protest against Russia war in Ukraine. We defend lives and humanity!”

Viktor Liashko, Ukraine’s Minister of Health, in a Facebook post revealed another two babies were born Friday in a bomb shelter in Kherson. Despite entering the world under “shelling and explosions,” both infants were perfectly healthy and should serve as a symbol of Ukrainian resilience. He called them the “face of war.

“Yesterday in Kherson, under the shelling, two boys were born,” Liashko wrote. “Two new lives that already have War in their genetic code.”

His post also included images of the mothers cuddling their newborns inside the crowded bomb shelter. One photo shows a doctor cradling the baby as people gather around him. Liashko said that the moment made him realize how “incredibly proud” he was of Ukrainian doctors.

“Life goes on, we give birth to children and no one can defeat us!” he added.