Monday saw a worldwide outcry following a discovery that Russian missiles had injured 136 people and killed at least 33 in Ukraine. The attack on a children’s hospital in Kyiv, which was attributed to Russia, was described by British Foreign Minister David Lammy as “an appalling attack on Ukrainian civilians.”
Following Labour’s victory in the general election, Lammy was named Britain’s top diplomat last Friday. He went on to say, “The United Kingdom’s support to Ukraine is iron-clad.” We have to hold everyone accountable for Putin’s unlawful war. A missile bombardment launched by Russia against Ukrainian cities claimed the lives of thirty-six people and destroyed the city’s children’s hospital.
Following the unusual daytime bombing, AFP journalists on the ground witnessed dozens of volunteers, including medical professionals and rescue personnel, searching through debris from the Okhmatdyt pediatric hospital in a desperate attempt to find survivors.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched dozens of missiles toward five towns and cities in southern and eastern Ukraine as well as the capital.
Ukrainian officials said 33 people were killed and another 136 wounded in the wave of 38 missiles. Three more were killed by Russian fire in Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.
The air force said that 30 rounds had been shot down by air defense systems.
UN rights chief Volker Turk condemned the “abominable” Russian strikes, while Antonio Guterres, the head of the organization, described the attack on medical facilities as “particularly shocking,” according to his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
While the European Union condemned Moscow for its “ruthless” actions, the United States denounced “another savage missile attack on civilians.”
The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, referred to the bombardment of a children’s hospital as “abhorrent,” while France’s foreign ministry labeled it “barbaric.”
A day of mourning was declared in the nation’s capital by Kyiv, who also revealed that a Russian cruise missile with parts made in a NATO member nation had targeted the children’s hospital.
According to AFP, Russia retaliated, alleging that Ukrainian air defense systems were to blame for the significant missile damage that occurred in Kiev. Moscow claimed that its forces had hit their “intended targets,” citing solely military installations and the defense sector.
When air raid sirens were heard across Kiev on Monday, medical workers moved patients and staff members immediately to the facility’s basement. “We always believed that Okhmatdyt was protected for some reason,” stated Nina, a 68-year-old medical worker.
She told AFP, “We were absolutely certain that they wouldn’t come here,” recalling the chaotic scramble as staff members transferred kids with IV drips to the bunker. According to officials, the incident also caused damage to a number of residential buildings and an office tower in Kiev. AFP reporters witnessed cars set on fire and trees torn up in scorched courtyards.
DTEK, the biggest private energy provider in Ukraine, reported that three of its electrical substations in Kiev had been damaged or completely destroyed. In recent weeks, Russian strikes on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure have already cut the country’s generating capacity in half compared to a year earlier. Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russian forces have frequently bombarded the capital with enormous barrages; the most recent significant strike on Kyiv using drones and missiles occurred last month.
