An open letter from Ukraine's embryologists
Ukraine’s embryologists are asking the producers of culture media and consumables used in assisted reproduction to “postpone the supply of your products to the Russian Federation until it has stopped the war against Ukraine and withdrawn all its troops…”
Read the full letter below.
An open letter from Ukrainian embryologists to producers of media and consumables for ART
On February 24, the Russian Federation launched an open war against Ukraine, unprovoked and unfounded.
For more than a week, the Russian military has been firing unguided MLRS missiles and dropping bombs on maternity hospitals, hospitals, kindergartens, homes, power plants and other civilian infrastructure, causing irreparable human casualties and significant damage. Among the dead are many women and children, and the survivors are forced to live in constant fear of death, leave their homes, become refugees.
Such events have already taken place in 2014 in eastern Ukraine, but the reaction of the world community was insufficient: it was allowed to feed the aggressive appetites of the Russian Federation. Having accumulated strength, the Russian Federation attacked, neglecting all, without exception, the values of the civilized world, and most importantly - the value of human life.
From open sources you can see the consequences of this dishonest, insidious war: scorched ruins, cluttered roads with mutilated equipment, bloodied civilians, weeping over the bodies of their loved ones.
From open sources you can hear the consequences of this devastating, ruthless war: the explosions of cruise missiles, the roar of houses that are collapsing, hiding frightened citizens, moans and cries of the wounded.
You should be aware that there are other losses, invisible to the camera lens, that can not be captured by the most sensitive microphone - unborn children.
Since the beginning of the war, clinics of reproductive medicine in major cities of Ukraine have closed their doors to patients, cancelled all cycles of stimulation, embryo transfers. Embryos of any stage of development and oocytes were vitrified.
Aggressive military action by the Russian Federation jeopardized the timely delivery of liquid nitrogen to our cryobanks, which could not be evacuated. Hundreds of thousands of human embryos and gametes of tens of thousands of patients are under constant threat of destruction.
In addition, chronic stress, separation from partners and lack of appropriate conditions and confidence in the future to encourage Ukrainian women who are planning a pregnancy to postpone it indefinitely. In 2014, after the start of hostilities in eastern Ukraine, we have already seen an abnormal jump in stillbirths and spontaneous abortions, so we have reason to believe that 2022 will be accompanied by the same picture.
The Russian army, having ordered the destruction of civilians, is killing them not only with weapons but also with actions that make our work impossible.
Throughout its history, the Russian Federation has enjoyed benefits that have been developed and sold abroad, mostly in the Western world, but has failed to create its
own competitive products, goods and services. However, this never prevented her from treating the values and ideas of the Western World with disrespect and contempt, without ceasing to fan the flames of anti-Western rhetoric and propaganda. In contrast, Ukraine loudly and clearly stated its pro-European course during the Revolution of Dignity.
We consider it unfair to be in unequal conditions with our Russian colleagues, embryologists, who continue to work calmly in safety and comfort. The reality, unfortunately, is that the result of their work is not the emergence of a new life, but the strengthening of the army for future wars.
We urge you to postpone the supply of your products to the Russian Federation until it has stopped the war against Ukraine and withdrawn all its troops outside the internationally recognized borders of our sovereign state.
We hope and count on your determination.
Sincerely,
Embryologists of Ukraine:
Alina Shtefan, medical geneticist, Dnipro
Andrii Lahutin, embryologist, Fertility Clinic Americas, Cancun, Mexico
Andriy Kushnir, embryologist, Clinic of Professor Stefan Khmil, Ukraine, Lviv
Anfisa Kucherenko, embryologist, Innomed, Vinnitsa
Avdieieva Kateryna, embryologist, clinic Milartis, Kharkiv
Aza Zyuzyun, embryologist miniivf, Kyiv
Birol Aydin, lab director, IVMED clinic, Kyiv
Dariia Smyshliaieva, embryologist, Clinic of the reproductive medicine "Nadiya Odesa"
Darya Hudkova, embryologist, IVMED clinic, Kyiv
Galyna Botsiura, embryologist, Victoria clinic, Kyiv
Hanna Bondarenko, embryologist, Clinic of the reproductive medicine "Nadiya Odesa"
Hanna Lazarenko, embryologist, MC “Academium”, Odesa
Hudz Iehor, embryologist, Mirum Clinic, Kyiv
Illia Brusianskyi, embryologist, Mother and Child, Kyiv
Irina Zaitseva, embryologist, Regional Center for Reproductive Medicine, Rivne
Iryna Chemiokina, embryologist, Medical center infertility treatment, Chernivty
Iryna Kedrun, embryologist, Medical Center "Mother and Child", Lviv
Iryna Mykhailiuk, embryologist Medical Centr Bogolyuby, Lutsk
Iryna Polishchuk, embryologist, Kyiv
Iryna Valakh, embryologist, director of LTD «REPROGEN», Odesa
Ivanna Bodnar, embryologist, Medicover Ukraine, Lviv
Juliana Gusar, embryologist, Victoria clinic, Kyiv
Kateryna Diadiuk, embryologist, " IVF-Laboratory" clinic, Kyiv
Kateryna Lytvynyuk, embryologist, Medical Centr Bogolyuby, Lutsk
Kateryna Stanchak, embryologist, Clinic of prof. Stefan Khmil, Lviv
Lada Diachenko, embryologist, Clinic of reproductive medicine "Nadiya", Kyiv
Lazar Kulia, sperm laboratory assistant, Clinic of the reproductive medicine "Nadiya Odesa"
Lidiia Dubovtseva, embryologist, Institute for planning family, Kyiv
Liubomyr Savchuk, Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Kyiv
Liudmyla Davydiuk, embryologist, Medical Centr Bogolyuby, Lutsk
Lyudmila Panus, embryologist, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Lyudmila Semenyuk, Head of the embryology department, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Mariana Vitushynska, Head of the Department of Embryology, "Polimedical", Lviv
Mariia Sykuta, embryologist, Medical Reproductive Health Centre 'Damiia', Ivano- Frankivsk
Mаryna Kovalenko, embryologist, Medical Center "Medical Plaza", "Avrora IVF", Dnipro
Mykola Yaroshyk, embryologist, Mother and child clinic, Kyiv
Nadiiy Mykhailenko, Mother and Child, Kyiv
Natalia Melnyk, Head of the embryology department, Reproductive Genetics Clinic Victoria, Kyiv
Natalia Riasna, embryologist, Medical Center “Intereco”, Kyiv
Nataliia Rozhak, embryologist, Medicover Ukraine, Lviv
Nina Glushchenko, embryologist, Art Genetics, Kiyv
Oksana Lyzohub, embryologist, IVMED, Kyiv
Oksana Petrenko, embryologist, Medical Center "Mother and child", Kyiv
Oleksandr Ignatov, embryologist, GC-IVF, Kharkiv
Oleksandr Tkachenko, embryologist, Lita clinic, Kyiv
Oleksii Markovskyi, embryologist, Reproductive clinic Lita, Kyiv
Oleksii Tishchenko, embryologist, prof.Feskov Clinic, Kharkiv
Oleksiy Balva, embryologist, Oxford Medical, Kyiv
Oleksiy Pravdyuk, embryologist, GC-IVF, Kharkiv
Olena Dubova, embryologist, Fertility clinic “Alice”, Kyiv
Olena Horlakova, embryologist, Isida clinic, Kyiv
Olena Novikova, Oxford Medical clinic
Olena Shamrai, embryologist, Kyiv city maternity hospital number 3
Olena Somova, PhD, Head of ART Laboratory "Sana-Med (Clinic of Professor Feskov)", Kharkiv
Olga Borovik, embryology laboratory assistant, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Olga Chaplia, PhD, embryologist, Yale Fertility Center, Orange, USA
Olga Guzyk, embryologist, ISIDA-IVF
Olga Maliuta, embryologist, IVMED, Kyiv
Olga Perepelytsia, embryologist, Clinic of the reproductive medicine "Nadiya Odesa"
Olga Tkachenko, embryologist, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Olga Zinkina, embryologist, Medical Center "Mother and Child", Kyiv
Pavlo Mazur, embryologist, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Polina Smiian, embryologist, IVMED clinic, Kyiv
Roksolana Khatsko, embryologist, Medicover, Lviv
Svetlana Zudova, embryologist, Isida IVF, Kyiv
Svitlana Melnychuk, embryologist, Reproductive center Blagodar, Rivne
Taisiia Kozak, embryologist, Oxford Medical clinic, Kyiv
Taras Vitak, embryologist, Medicover Ukraine, Lviv
Tetiana Dubko, embryologist, Clinic of the reproductive medicine "Nadiya Odesa"
Tetiana Pischana, embryologist, IVMED, Kyiv
Tetyana Shestakova, embryologist, Victoria clinic, Kyiv
Valentyn Didkivskyi, Head of the embryology department, Mirum Clinic, Kyiv
Valerii Tokarev, embryologist, Beta Plus Fertility Clinic
Valetyna Yakymets, embryologist, " IVF-Laboratory" clinic, Kyiv
Victoria Scherbakova, embryology laboratory assistant, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Viktor Nahornyi, embryologist, Kyiv
Viktoria Kubrak, embryologist, Medical Center “Intereco”, Kyiv
Viktoriia Fedorchuk, embryologist, Clinic of the reproductive medicine "Nadiya Odesa"
Viktoriia Tischenko, embryologist, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Volodymyr Babiy, embryologist, Medicover Ukraine, Lviv
Volodymyr Boretskyi, embryologist, Parens, Lviv
Yaroslav Hrubskyi, embryologist, head of embryology department, "Alternatyva" clinic, Lviv
Yaroslava Misyura, embryologist, Medicover Ukraine, Lviv
Yaroslava Petrenko, embryologist, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Yevgeniya Ulayeva, embryologist, Clinic of Reproductive Medicine “Nadiya”, Kyiv
Yulia Balva, embryologist, mather and child Kyiv
Yuliia Solonets, embryologist, Isida clinic, Kyiv
Yuliia Zin, embryologist, Centre of Human Reproduction "Sana-Med", Kyiv
Yuliya Kremenska, embryologist, Kyiv