Russia’s healthcare system is buckling under the strain of Vladimir Putin’s illegal Ukraine war, with 160 hospitals shut and patients left floundering as funds are diverted to the front line. The invasion that began in February 2022 has taken its toll on Moscow, with the economy suffering under sanctions and the cost of the conflict, while war casualties near one million.

But now it looks like the healthcare of ordinary Russians is being compromised because of the war effort, with the UK’s latest Defence Intelligence report claiming at least 160 public hospitals have been shut. Expert medical staff and equipment have also been in short supply, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) unit saying the “numbers of healthcare professionals in Russian hospitals serving the domestic civilian population will likely continue to decrease throughout 2025”.

The hospital closures, which include 18 maternity facilities and at least 10 children’s clinics, are likely caused by “insufficient funding for healthcare” due to the “prioritisation of funding the war on Ukraine”, says the MoD.

The Defence Intelligence update added: “Russian civilians in small towns and villages have frequently been left with reduced or unavailable medical care as a result of the closures.”

It also said the shocking number of troop casualties – thought to be more than 500,000 service personnel – have heaped pressure on Russia’s military medical system.

“This negatively impacts care delivery and has likely led to the diversion of medical resource from the domestic civilian population to the military, further contributing to the large-scale impact to civilian hospitals,” said the update.

Putin and US president Donald Trump agreed to a “limited ceasefire” in the Ukraine war on Tuesday after a 90-minute phone call aimed at finding an end to the conflict.

The leaders agreed the first step towards peace would involve halting strikes on energy and infrastructure, as well as technical negotiations on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea.