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For Immediate Release:
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Prapti Ajmera, [email protected]
New MedGlobal Report Warns Drone Warfare Demands New Models of Medical Response in Ukraine and Beyond
MedGlobal’s “Drones and Scalpels” Report Details How Attacks on Civilians and First Responders Are Changing Health Responses
A new report released today by the global humanitarian organization MedGlobal reveals how drone warfare in Ukraine is radically transforming emergency medicine, overwhelming health systems, and redefining the future of modern conflict.
The report, Drones and Scalpels: Emergency Medicine in Ukraine and the Future of Drone Warfare, details how the widespread use of drones has pushed medical systems to the brink while forcing unprecedented adaptation under fire. The full report can be viewed here.
Air attacks on civilians in Ukraine more than tripled in 2024, and civilian casualties in 2025 have already surpassed last year’s total. Russia’s growing use of drones in ways that violate international humanitarian law (IHL) is a key driver of this catastrophic harm. Drone attacks account for up to 70% of all casualties by some estimates, with such type of attacks frequently producing complicated trauma injuries. Doctors volunteering with MedGlobal describe high rates of amputations, extensive burns, traumas across multiple parts of the body, and high rates of infection owing to initial contamination and lengthy medical evacuations.
The presence of drones in the sky and repeated attacks on emergency teams have jeopardized traditional medical responses. Attacks on emergency medical services quadrupled in 2024 alone. As a result, evacuations that once took hours are delayed for days or weeks, turning survivable injuries into fatal ones. Delayed care has also fueled an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections, now described by doctors as a “silent killer.”
“Ukrainian doctors tell me nearly every patient they see now is injured by drones, often in multiple areas of the body. A single patient may require simultaneous, advanced care for blast injuries, burns, and amputation,” said Dr. Michael Samotowka, MedGlobal board member and volunteer surgeon. “The drone dynamics we see in Ukraine are a stark warning that health responses and medical training worldwide must adapt as drone warfare becomes increasingly common.”
In the face of these challenges, the report shows how Ukraine’s health system is rapidly innovating under pressure – creating mobile clinics, modular health units, underground stabilization points, and medical trains to decentralize care and keep patients alive closer to the front lines. MedGlobal deploys international medical teams to train Ukrainian doctors on the front lines in trauma and surgery, supporting them to perform complex procedures and provide prolonged care until evacuation is possible.
“Drone warfare is transforming the battlefield and rewriting the rules of emergency medicine. Ukraine’s innovative medical response is becoming a blueprint for how health systems must adapt to drone warfare globally,” said Anastasia Moran, MedGlobal advocacy director and the author of the report. “These lessons are not theoretical anymore. They are being written in real time, with real lives at stake.”
MedGlobal teams around the world – from Gaza to Yemen to Sudan – are seeing a rise in drone warfare. MedGlobal warns that without immediate additional investment in frontline medical capacity, trauma training, infection control and mental health services, health systems worldwide will be unprepared for the next phase of warfare.
“The future of warfare is already here,” the report states. “The future of medicine must meet it.”
MedGlobal has partnered directly with over one hundred Ukrainian hospitals to provide trainings on post-operative and nursing care for doctors across the country. Numerous volunteer training missions have helped train Ukrainian medical personnel on emergency response, resuscitation protocols, and response to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats.
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About MedGlobal
MedGlobal is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization providing emergency humanitarian aid and health system strengthening in conflict and disaster-affected regions around the world. Since 2022, MedGlobal has trained more than 4,000 healthcare workers across 119 hospitals and 15 medical universities, distributed $23 million in medical supplies to over 500 health centers, delivered 8,500+ mobile clinic consultations, and expanded trauma, emergency response, mental health, and CBRNE training.
