Beating Through Bombs: Kyiv Doctor Braves Russian Missiles To Deliver Donor Heart To Child

Last Updated:July 12, 2025, 17:31 IST

The surgery was part of a larger transplant effort using organs donated by a four-year-old girl who had been declared brain-dead after severe injuries

The operation took place during a 13-hour blackout, caused by Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid. (Image via X/@OlenaHalushka)

Ukrainian doctors performed a life-saving heart transplant on a child as explosions shook Kyiv and air raid sirens blared, with Russian missiles continuing to strike the city.

On Thursday, Dr Borys Todurov and his team at Kyiv’s Heart Institute performed a heart transplant on a seriously ill child during one of the worst Russian aerial attacks in recent weeks. The surgery was part of a larger transplant effort using organs donated by a four-year-old girl who had been declared brain-dead after severe injuries.

The operation took place during a 13-hour blackout, caused by Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid. In video footage shared widely on social media, Todurov is seen performing surgery by torchlight after a power cut, saying, “We need to turn on the generator."

Earlier that day, Todurov had travelled across the city from Okhmatdyt children’s hospital to retrieve the donor heart. The journey was extremely dangerous, as Russian missiles and drones continued to strike Kyiv, CNN reported.

At one point, the ambulance passed a large fire burning by the road. In a calm voice, Todurov said, “We’re carrying a heart."

The transplant was successful. A video from the operating room shows the new heart beating steadily inside the patient’s chest. “The heart is working, and the pressure is stable," Todurov said afterwards. “We hope the child will recover and live a long and full life."

At the same time, the young donor’s kidneys and liver were transplanted into two other critically ill children — a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl — also in Kyiv. Doctors said all three recipients had only days or weeks to live without the surgeries.

According to Ukraine’s Transplant Coordination Centre, the donor’s mother, a medical worker herself, agreed to donate her daughter’s organs, giving three children a second chance at life.

“May the little donor rest in peace," the centre said. “Our condolences to her family and gratitude for their difficult but important decision."

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News world Beating Through Bombs: Kyiv Doctor Braves Russian Missiles To Deliver Donor Heart To Child