The air raid alert in Kyiv was live, as Russia fired another wave of jet-propelled drones at Ukraine, including the capital.

At Kyiv City Maternity Hospital No. 2, Yuliia Ishchuk, 26, was giving birth while a map glowed on a phone screen showing active air raid alerts across the capital and its surrounding region.

Her husband, 30-year-old serviceman Vitalii Ishchuk, stood by her side throughout the delivery. Minutes later, as Yuliia cradled their newborn child, he struggled to contain his emotions.

"I'm usually pretty cold-hearted. But right now, I'm barely holding it together," he said. Ishchuk recalled the recent night when the couple knew the baby was close.

"At three in the morning, the waters broke, but we hadn't packed anything, and nothing was ready," he said. Kyiv was under attack, as it has been almost non-stop since August 27 when Russia significantly escalated its bombing campaign.

Doctors at the hospital took a calculated risk by delivering the baby while the skies over the city were under threat.

The same was true for Alyona Bohatyrenko, who also gave birth there last Wednesday (September 2).

"I gave birth during an air alert!" beamed Bohatyrenko, 32, as she lay in bed cradling her baby daughter minutes after she was born. "None of this is normal, but ... you get used to it somehow."

Fortunately there were no explosions nearby during the final phase of Bohatyrenko's labour.

In an escalating air war between Ukraine and Russia, each side is pounding the other's energy and logistical assets to force an advantage. In the past two weeks, Moscow has fired swarms of high-speed jet drones that are more destructive than older models, around the clock.

Conditions are widely expected to worsen as winter sets in and Russia targets Ukraine's energy system that provides electricity, heating and running water.

Russia says its attacks have a military purpose; Ukraine says they are designed to break civilian morale and persuade the government to give up territory.

For both young families at the hospital, growing threats are forcing them to consider moving into safer accommodation in Kyiv or away from the city altogether.

"We'll have to move somewhere to find better shelter - not a basement in a school or a store - that's no shelter at all," said Vitalii Ishchuk.

Bohatyrenko ruled out moving overseas, but added: "We're thinking about going somewhere this winter after all. We'll have to see how things go, because based on the forecasts, it'll be very difficult to stay in Kyiv this winter with a small child."

Beneath the hospital, several pregnant women walked into a shelter with their partners in response to a fresh air raid warning.

Yuliia Kuhkhar, 29, said that she had only noticed a handful of women with her on the maternity ward.

"No one wants to give birth," she told Reuters.

Ukraine is facing a demographic crisis, with birth rates plunging because of economic factors before the full-scale invasion and, since February 2022, due to partners serving in the military and concerns over the country's security.

Kukhar was expecting her third child after having had two daughters. She had wanted a boy this time around, but the war, and the risk men faced of being called up to serve, had made her think twice.

"We wanted a boy. But there's a war going on, and I don't need a boy. Let's just have girls."

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

1. PHONE SCREEN SHOWING MAP OF AIR RAID ALERT IN KYIV AND KYIV REGION / YULIIA ISHCHUK, 26, GIVING BIRTH

2. VITALII ISHCHUK, 30, HUSBAND AND SERVICEMAN, ATTENDING CHILDBIRTH

3. VARIOUS OF YULIIA ISHCHUK GIVING BIRTH

4. YULIIA ISHCUK HOLDING NEWBORN

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 30-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND AND SERVICEMAN, VITALII ISHCHUK, SAYING:

“I was just moved. I'm usually pretty cold-hearted. But right now, I'm barely holding it together.”

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 30-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND AND SERVICEMAN, VITALII ISHCHUK, SAYING:

“At three in the morning, the waters broke, but we hadn’t packed anything, and nothing was ready. She was fuming and panicking. There was shelling going on right then, too. We thought the house was going to be blown to pieces. We called an ambulance; they came, and everything turned out fine.”

7. YULIIA ISHCHUK HOLDING NEWBORN, VITALII ISHCHUK KISSING HER

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 30-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND AND SERVICEMAN, VITALII ISHCHUK, SAYING:

“Since Nova Poshta and Rozetka were bombed, half of our packages never arrived. So we came here and put everything together on the fly. That's it.”

9. YULIIA ISHCHUK LYONG WITH NEWBORN / VITALII ISHCUK SAYING (Off-camera) ‘She went into labor and the air raid alert kicked in.’

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 30-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND AND SERVICEMAN, VITALII ISHCHUK, SAYING:

“We’ll have to move somewhere to find better shelter - not a basement in a school or a store - that’s no shelter at all. What good is it if a missile - especially those Zircons - can pierce through buildings and make them seem to melt? Glide bombs in particular are scary at that.”

11. VARIOUS OF ALYONA BOHATYRENKO, 32, GIVING BIRTH

12. PAVLO BOHATYRENKO, 33, CRYING

13. VARIOUS OF ALYONA BOHATYRENKO HOLDING NEWBORN

14. NURSES ATTENDING NEWBORN

15. ALYONA BOHATYRENKO HOLDING NEWBORN

16. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 32-YEAR-OLD MOTHER, ALYONA BOHATYRENKO, SAYING:

“I gave birth during air alert! These days, air alerts are so unpredictable.”

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 33-YEAR-OLD FATHER, PAVLO BOHATYRENKO, SAYING:

“Shaheds were flying overhead. But we were just getting ready calmly.”

18. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 32-YEAR-OLD MOTHER, ALYONA BOHATYRENKO, SAYING:

“None of this is normal, but... You get used to it somehow. Your priorities shift to completely different things. The most important thing is the child's safety.”

19. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 33-YEAR-OLD FATHER, PAVLO BOHATYRENKO, SAYING:

“I realized that the closer we got to the due date, the more dangerous it became in the city, and the attacks were getting more frequent. But, thank God, everything turned out fine.”

20. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 32-YEAR-OLD MOTHER, ALYONA BOHATYRENKO, SAYING:

“I've never wanted to move abroad. And now even less so - our whole family is here. That's why we won't be moving abroad.”

20. ALYONA BOHATYRENKO HOLDING NEWBORN, SAYING ‘We’re thinking about going somewhere this winter after all. We’ll have to see how things go. Because based on the forecasts, it’ll be very difficult to stay in Kyiv this winter with a small child. Of course, we’ve prepared: we’ve bought all kinds of carriers so we can run to the shelters, but that wouldn’t be normal, so we’re thinking about what other options we have.’

21. PAVLO BOHATYRENKO LOOKING AT NEWBORN, ALYONA BOHATYRENKO SAYING (OFF-CAMERA) ‘She has her father’s nose, father’s hair.’

22. ALYONA BOHATYRENKO HOLDING NEWBORN, SAYING ‘Will she look at least a little like me?’

23. ALYONA AND PAVLO BOHATYRENKOS WITH NEWBORN

24. PREGNANT WOMEN GOING TO SHELTER

25. MAN AND PREGNANT WOMAN SITTING IN SHELTER

26. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 31-YEAR-OLD PREGNANT WOMAN, ANASTASIIA VAVSHKO, SAYING:

“It's safer here in the shelter. Not all maternity hospitals have shelters. It's good that this one does. We were at another one, and unfortunately, it didn't have one.”

27. VAVSHKO AND OTHER PEOPLE IN SHELTER

28. YULIIA KUKHAR, 29, PREGNANT WOMAN IN SHELTER

29. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 29-YEAR-OLD PREGNANT WOMAN, YULIIA KUKHAR, SAYING:

“There are two women in my room with me. The rooms are empty. There are five women in the entire ward. It seems to me that's very few. No one wants to give birth.”

30. VARIOUS OF WOMAN IN SHELTER

31. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) DEPUTY HEAD OF MATERNITY HOSPITAL, OLEKSANDR ZABUDSKYI, SAYING:

“It might get cold; there may be nothing to eat. Our supermarkets are struggling. Home improvement stores are struggling. People are thinking all this through. If my wife were pregnant, I’d want her to be safe. Why should she and my child have to deal with this stress? I’m not worried about myself.”

32. KUKHAR CHECKING PHONE WITH TELEGRAM CHANNELS INFORMING ABOUT AIR ALERTS

33. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 29-YEAR-OLD PREGNANT WOMAN, YULIIA KUKHAR, SAYING:

“Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. Those Russians have really lost it, haven't they?”

34. (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) 29-YEAR-OLD PREGNANT WOMAN, YULIIA KUKHAR, SAYING:

REPORTER ASKING ‘The third will be a girl too?’

“Yes. We wanted a boy. But there's a war going on, and I don't need a boy. Let's just have girls.”

35. KUKHAR SITTING

36. PREGNANT WOMEN IN SHELTER