The intensified Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning on Feb 24, 2022, interrupted medical care for children with cancer and blood disorders in the country, threatening their survival. In response, long-standing collaborating clinical and foundation partners from several countries came together to form the Supporting Action for Emergency Response in Ukraine (SAFER Ukraine; appendix pp 2–6).

Coordinated medical evacuations represent an important strategy for emergency response when healthcare systems are impaired by armed conflict, particularly for patients diagnosed with life-threatening conditions such as cancer. In this study, we compare the experiences of two parallel medical evacuation systems developed to meet the medical needs of Ukrainians affected by war