On the first day of the full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Tkach, then head of the surgical department at the Rivne Regional Cancer Centre, came to work as usual and held a meeting with his team. Scheduled operations had to be temporarily suspended – they were waiting for the wounded. A few days later, the work resumed. The centre began to receive waves of internally displaced patients, often in an exhausted and confused state.

Today, Mr Tkach is the medical director of the centre. One of the new challenges is veterans and military patients, who often come to the centre in serious condition, with long-standing cancer. Many cases could have been detected earlier if people had the opportunity and time to seek treatment. But the military has other priorities. Some people came too late.

Despite the war, the centre is preparing to launch new equipment – a computed tomography scanner and a third linear accelerator.

On the night of June 9, 2025, Rivne region experienced the largest enemy attack. Missiles and dozens of russian Shaheds hit the region. The interview was recorded the morning after the attack.