The hospital's archive staff said they were not aware of how the documents had been hidden in the medical facility and suggested that the former hospital chiefs, who fled before the arrival of Russian troops in the city, were probably responsible.
On 24 February, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.