Mums can be seen tenderly cradling their newborns in a makeshift hospital bomb shelter during an air raid alert.
About 50 mothers and their infants cowered in cramped conditions in the basement of a maternity hospital in Odesa.
Heartbreaking footage showed babies –just hours and days old – being nursed and laid out in cradles by their anxious mums.
The sobering video was posted online by Ukrainian journalist Oleksiy Matsuka.
Nina Sorokpoud, of the kids’ charity Unicef, said: “Mothers with newborns are hiding from shelling and air attacks in a small space of the maternity hospital bomb shelter in Odesa.
“Tens of healthcare facilities came under attack last week as fighting escalates around Ukraine.
"Ukraine children need peace from the day they are born.”
Hospitals in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Mariupol have all come under fire from Russian troops.
Two Ukrainian maternity hospitals were reportedly attacked by Russian missiles.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry posted a video appearing to show troops destroying a facility hospital in Zhytomyr.
First deputy minister of foreign affairs Emine Dzhaparova said: “Russian armed forces keep attacking maternity wards, kindergartens, orphanages, hospitals."
One hospital has set up a neonatal intensive care unit in a basement. Doctors have warned a lack of specialist drugs and medical equipment mean some tots born in dangerous conditions will not live.
Heartbreaking scenes of tiny tots being cared for in makeshift shelters have been shared by medics throughout the invasion of Ukraine.
On the second day of the assault, staff from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Children’s Hospital moved twelve newborn babies to safety downstairs to avoid Putin’s missiles.
Dr Denis Surkov, 51, chief of the neonatal unit at Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Children’s Hospital said of the bunker: “This is the neonatal intensive care unit. In a bomb shelter.
“Can you imagine? This is our reality.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky previously said: “'What kind of war is being led against Ukrainian children in kindergartens? Who are they?
“Are they also neo-Nazis from kindergartens? Or are they NATO soldiers that put Russia in danger?”
Last weekend one woman gave birth to a baby girl while hiding in a shelter amid fears of falling bombs.
Hanna Hopka, a Ukrainian democracy campaigner, said of the birth: “Mia was born in shelter this night in stressful environment bombing of Kyiv.
“Her mom is happy after this challenging birth giving.
“When Putin kills Ukrainians we call mothers of Russia and Belarus to protest against Russia war in Ukraine. We defend lives and humanity.”
