In a shocking display of aggression, Russian forces launched a supersonic missile that struck a children's hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, marking one of several nationwide attacks that have been described as "genocidal."
The missile attack on the hospital, which is the largest children's medical facility in the country, occurred amidst a series of explosions that sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky over the Ukrainian capital. This assault is considered the most severe bombardment of Kyiv in several months, and it ominously precedes a crucial NATO summit in Washington.
According to the Daily Mail, other cities were not spared from Monday's onslaught, with another Russian attack in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih reportedly claiming at least 10 lives. Across the country, the death toll reached 28, with 50 more injured. In Kyiv alone, officials reported 10 fatalities and 35 injuries, with at least two doctors unaccounted for.
In the aftermath of the initial strikes, further explosions echoed over the capital as Ukrainian air defenses intercepted more projectiles, believed to be drones. This occurred even as rescue efforts were underway at the devastated children's hospital. Images released by officials from the medical facility depicted people sifting through heaps of debris, a building gutted by fire, and medical staff in blood-stained scrubs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had targeted five cities with over 40 missiles of varying types in the assault, and people were trapped under the rubble of the children's hospital. The daylight attacks included Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, one of Russia's most advanced weapons, which fly at 10 times the speed of sound, making them difficult to intercept. The impact of these missiles caused city buildings to tremble.
"There are people under the rubble, and the exact number of casualties is still unknown," the president posted on social media. "Right now, everyone is helping to clear the rubble - doctors and ordinary people."
The Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, which was struck in the attack, is Ukraine's largest children's medical facility and is situated on the outskirts of the city's central district. Its importance has been compared to that of London's Great Ormond Street Hospital. The Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) initially assessed that Moscow had struck the facility with a KH-101 strategic cruise missile. A senior presidential official, Andriy Yermak, stated that the projectile "contains dozens of microelectronics manufactured in NATO countries."
"The SBU will do everything possible to ensure that the enemy feels maximum retribution for each of his war crimes, in particular, for today's attack on Ukraine," said SBU head Vasyl Malyuk. "This retribution will be both legal and moral. A terrorist state is not an abstract concept. There are specific names of the killers. And nothing will save them from justice."
In addition to the hospital, Russian strikes also "destroyed or damaged" three electrical substations in Kyiv, according to the energy operator DTEK. Other cities, including Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Slov'yansk, and Krematorsk, were also targeted in a brutal attack from dictator Vladimir Putin's forces that plainly impacted civilians.
In Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of Zelensky, ten were reported killed, with 31 wounded. The president was out of the country on a visit to Poland when news of the shocking attacks broke worldwide. He later held a minute's silence with Polish PM Donald Tusk.
"Russian terrorists once again massively attacked Ukraine with missiles. Different cities: Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rig, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk," Zelensky said, listing major civilian hubs in the south and east of the country. "More than 40 missiles of various types. Residential buildings, infrastructure, and a children's hospital have been damaged."
Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy's chief of staff, posted, "Attack on Ukraine at a time when there are the most people on the streets. Crazy Russian terrorists. They beat the cities, where there were many people. They hit the children's hospital. There are children. It is a terror that the world must see and respond to. This is genocide."
The strikes drew international condemnation, including from the UK, where newly appointed foreign minister David Lammy called for Russia to be held responsible for its 'illegal war' while reiterating the UK's support for Kyiv. France's foreign ministry labeled the daytime bombardment of a children's hospital in Kyiv 'barbaric.'
Russian forces have repeatedly targeted the capital with massive barrages since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the last major attack on Kyiv with drones and missiles was last month. Despite evidence to the contrary, the Kremlin insists its forces do not target civilian infrastructure.
The Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv is renowned throughout Europe for its excellence. The hospital director, Volodymyr Zhovnir, said a missile had hit one of his buildings, understood to be the toxicology department. They are organizing the evacuation and relocation of everyone on the premises.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to stay in shelters. Zelensky and other officials in Kyiv have been urging Ukraine's allies to send more air defense systems, including Patriots, to the war-battered country to help fend off fatal Russian aerial bombardments.
"Russia cannot claim ignorance of where its missiles are flying and must be held fully accountable for all its crimes," Zelensky said in another post on social media.
As outrage grew over the strike, Russian sources claimed the children's hospital was hit during an attack on a 'plant' and 'patriot missile complexes.' But one Russian military analyst - Sergey Markov - went as far as to claim it had been Ukrainian missiles that hit the hospital, repeating a line that has been seen in previous atrocities committed by Moscow's armies against Ukraine.
The attack came on the eve of the three-day Nato summit in Washington. The gathering of western leaders will look at how to reassure Ukraine of the alliance's unwavering support and offer Ukrainians hope that their country can come through Europe's biggest conflict since the Second World War.
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