Ukraine’s government, led by Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, has approved an experimental project in which drones will be used to transport medical supplies, blood samples and donor organs between hospitals.
The Heart Institute of Ukraine’s Health Ministry will serve as the first site of the pilot. The facility already operates three specialized drones capable of flying up to 700 kilometers (roughly 435 miles) and landing at hospital sites.
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Based on the project, “Ukraine plans to create a Ukrainian traffic-management system for civilian drones (UTM) and establish rules for their safe use,” Koretskyi said in a statement on Friday, Oct. 16.
Faster deliveries amid the war
Each flight will need to be cleared with the military, under a defined approval procedure.
The drones will have a special status and be identifiable in the air, while separate rules will govern their operation during air-raid alerts, including the option to land at an alternative site.
Amid the war and poor road conditions, such a project could significantly improve outcomes. This is particularly important for blood and organ donations, where the speed of the delivery is crucial.
“Drones will be able to deliver medicines, medical devices, blood samples for testing and donor organs between hospitals more quickly,” Koretskyi said.
The need for alternative ways to deliver medical supplies is strongest in remote and Russian-occupied areas, such as the Kherson region, where civilians have no such option.
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For example, in Oleshky, under a Russian drone-and-mine siege since the early days of the full-scale invasion, the only hospital has run out of medication, and residents with serious conditions such as strokes cannot get treatment.
The town’s only pharmacy, located at the local hospital, reportedly ran out of essential medications months ago, while power cuts and lack of fuel for generators have further complicated medical care.
Its residents are also left without drinking food and water, with the last food delivery reaching the town on May 26, according to Tetiana Hasanenko, head of the Oleshky City Military Administration on July 10.
In early September, a convoy carrying supplies was destroyed by first-person-view (FPV) drones.
Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly urged international partners to secure access and humanitarian corridors to the area, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha calling the situation a Russian-inflicted humanitarian crisis.
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