In her powerful video report from Kherson, American singer and humanitarian Kelsie Kimberlin brings the world face to face with the courage, resilience, and humanity of those who continue to live and give life in a city under fire. During her visit to the Kherson Maternity Hospital, Kimberlin met with the hospital’s director, who shared a deeply emotional account of how life continues despite daily shelling and danger.
Kelsie Kimberlin came to Ukraine, including Kherson, to film a documentary “The Last Message” about the Russian war in Ukraine, capturing the human stories of courage, pain, and resilience in the midst of destruction.
“This is their homeland, their home. They really don’t leave. Even Kherson residents who now live in Odesa are returning here to give birth. They probably will not leave Kherson. Pregnant women from Kherson give birth here, and this is our future,” the director said. “You cannot forbid a person to be at home, be happy, and to give infinity to the planet. Because a newborn baby is like infinity.”
Inside the hospital, doctors and nurses continue their vital work, often under bombardment. “There’s electricity, so everything is fine — it means they are okay,” she added with quiet irony. “When something flies overhead, we run down. It’s stressful, but we will cope with it because we need to help the little people from Kherson come into the world.”
To protect mothers and newborns, the hospital is now preparing an underground facility — complete with operating rooms, wards, and delivery spaces — so that childbirth can continue even under attack. “We have no other choice — we need to hide underground,” said the director.
After the liberation of Kherson, the situation became even more dangerous due to intensified shelling. “When a pregnant woman comes to see a doctor, we offer them options. We have agreements with neighboring regions — Mykolaiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia — so they could go there where it’s safer. But they don’t go. They don’t leave. That’s why we are here, and we will leave Kherson only hand in hand with the last Kherson resident,” she said firmly. “The world must know. The world must know Russia, the Russians, and what they are doing.”
The maternity hospital, which has always been a place of birth and healing, has not been spared from attacks. “It was always a maternity hospital. They knew it, and yet they still hit it. Is that normal?” she asked.
Despite everything, the spirit of the people of Kherson remains unbroken. “Ukraine, Ukrainians, Kherson, the people of Kherson. Over all these years, we’ve been told many times that the impossible can be done. I never imagined I would work under such conditions. We live in the 21st century — it’s surreal — but we are living in it. There’s a word: must. We are scared too, but we must. If not us, then who?”
Through Kimberlin’s lens, Kherson stands not only as a city of resilience but as a symbol of life itself — where every newborn represents hope and infinity against the backdrop of destruction.
A year after Kelsie Kimberlin’s visit, world-renowned actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie also visited the Hero City of Kherson, paying tribute to its people’s extraordinary courage and the spirit that continues to shine despite unimaginable hardship.
