Russia launched a massive attack on Ukrainian cities on Monday, killing at least 36 people, according to the latest figures from the authorities. The Kremlin targeted hospitals, including the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, according to kyiv. 20 minutes provides an update on this attack which has sparked indignation in Ukraine and its supporters.
What happened at the children’s hospital in kyiv?
Ukrainian security services say the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, one of the largest in Europe, was directly hit by a Russian cruise missile. The attack on the children’s hospital came as several other cities in the country were targeted by strikes early in the morning.
On Monday, inside the facility, broken glass still lay on the floor and blood stains were visible here and there. And, according to the NGO Mehad, which operates in Ukraine, a hospital of the Ministry of the Interior, where a rehabilitation center for war wounded is located, was also hit, killing at least four people. This facility is located “in the immediate vicinity” of Okhmatdyt. In total, the Ukrainians claim that the Russians fired 38 missiles, 30 of which were shot down.
What is the death toll?
The toll from the shooting deep into Ukrainian territory is one of the highest in months. In kyiv, at least 22 people died in the attack on two medical centers. According to the Ukrainian security services, at least two medical workers were killed in the Okhmatdyt hospital and seven children were also among the injured.
Eleven people were also killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region (central-eastern Ukraine). At least 137 people were injured in total in Ukraine on Monday. The authorities in the capital have declared a day of mourning tomorrow, Tuesday, and all entertainment events will be cancelled.
What do the healthcare workers say?
“We heard the first explosion, quite far away. Then a second one, much closer, and all the windows exploded. And suddenly the ceilings collapsed on us,” Taras Chechel, an official, said in a statement sent to AFP. “We always thought that Okhmatdyt was protected. We were 100 percent sure that (the Russians) would not strike here,” said Nina, a 68-year-old hospital employee. “We heard a low rumble, and then the ceiling of the basement collapsed slightly,” said Natalia Svidler, 40, whose son Illia was due to undergo surgery at the hospital this week. Natalia Tetrouyeva, a surgeon at the hospital, said she was in the middle of an operation when the strike happened.
How is aid organized?
Rescuers continue to search for people under the rubble. On Monday, outside the children’s hospital hit Monday in Kiev during a massive Russian attack, a human chain of several hundred people spontaneously formed to help rescuers clear the rubble, looking for possible survivors. Local residents, paramedics, soldiers and doctors, some of whose coats are covered in blood, are all there after this attack that left at least two dead on the territory of the Okhmatdyt hospital.
“The premises are destroyed. At this stage, it is probably impossible to work,” laments Oleksandr, a doctor at the facility.
What does Volodymyr Zelensky say?
“Russian terrorists have again heavily attacked Ukraine with missiles. Different cities: kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rig, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk,” Volodymyr Zelensky reacted on Telegram, according to which “residential buildings, infrastructure and a children’s hospital were damaged.” From Warsaw, where he is on a visit, the Ukrainian president immediately demanded from the West a “stronger response” to Russia. He also called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
“One of the most important children’s hospitals in Europe”, the one in Okhmatdyt, was damaged in kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky again denounced on X. Russia cannot claim that it does not know where its missiles are falling and must be held fully responsible.”
What does Moscow say?
Moscow denies this, claiming that it targeted and hit “military installations.” The Kremlin claims that the images prove that the damage to the facility was caused by a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile. This theory is dismissed by the Ukrainian security services, who claim that the Okhmatdyt hospital was hit by a Kh-101 missile.
What are the international reactions?
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell deplored Russia’s “merciless targeting of Ukrainian civilians”, saying that “Ukraine needs air defences now”. Paris called these “barbaric acts” to be “added to the list of war crimes for which Russia will have to be held accountable”, while London denounced a “horrific attack” and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a “heinous” act.
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The UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, “strongly condemned” these “senseless” actions by the Russian military.