At least 29 civilians were killed, and significant damage was inflicted on Kyiv’s main children’s hospital in one of the most severe air raids in months.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine saw a deadly escalation as Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched missiles at various cities across Ukraine on Monday morning.
Denise Brown, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, condemned the Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, which resulted in numerous casualties.
She expressed outrage, particularly at the attack on the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, reportedly carried out with a Russian cruise missile, stating that it is unacceptable for children to be killed and injured in this war.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that all targeted Ukrainian military sites were hit. They claimed that the extensive damage reported by Kyiv was due to a Ukrainian air defense missile.
The ministry’s statement, accompanied by photos and videos from the site, suggested that the damage was caused by a Ukrainian missile, asserting that Russian forces had successfully struck their intended military and industrial targets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that people were trapped under the rubble of the children’s hospital in Kyiv following the Russian missile strike.
He conveyed via social media that the exact number of casualties was still unknown and emphasized that doctors and ordinary citizens were working tirelessly to clear the debris and rescue those trapped.
Zelensky also noted that over 40 missiles were fired by Russian forces on Monday, hitting multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk.
Residential buildings, infrastructure, and another children’s hospital were among the targets. All available emergency services were mobilized to save as many lives as possible.
In a separate attack on a medical center in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district, at least four people were killed, and three others were injured. Ukrainian emergency services reported debris falling in the area, causing partial damage to the medical center.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, confirmed that the casualties were due to a new Russian strike on the medical facility.
