Putin challenges NATO with his latest attack, warns former ambassador

Russian President Vladimir Putin is “calling on NATO members to respond” after launching one of Moscow’s deadliest airstrikes on Kyiv on Monday, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia said.

Moscow launched a missile attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in broad daylight on Monday, according to Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack killed at least 37 people, including three children, and reported more than 170 injuries.

The attacks on Kyiv destroyed Ukraine’s main children’s hospital, the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital. Rockets also hit Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro and the Donetsk region in central Ukraine, said Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko.

“In total, nearly 100 facilities were damaged, including a children’s hospital, regular houses, kindergartens, a maternity hospital, a college and a business center,” Zelensky said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The rubble is still being cleared away from these sites.”

In response to reports of the attacks, Michael McFaul, who was US ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, wrote in a post X said the attacks were an example of Putin “challenging” NATO, adding: “I hope the alliance’s response this week will be strong.”

Newsweek contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email on Monday evening and asked for a comment.

Tensions between Russia and NATO members have escalated since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin has said the war cannot end until Ukraine takes a neutral stance toward the military alliance. Ukraine has repeatedly reiterated its plans to join NATO as soon as possible.

Given the sustained Russian bombings throughout the war, often targeting key infrastructure in Ukraine, including civilian areas, Western allies have worked to bolster Ukraine’s air defense capabilities.

Reuters reported that Kyiv’s defenses shot down 30 of the 38 missiles fired at Ukraine on Monday. The news agency also obtained video of a missile hitting a Kyiv children’s hospital. Ukraine’s Security Service later identified the weapon as a Kh-101 cruise missile.

Zelensky urged his Western allies to respond to Putin’s attack with continued support for Ukraine, pledging during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Kyiv “will take retaliation against these people. We will certainly give Russia a strong response from our side.”

“The question to our partners is: can they respond?” Zelensky added.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas responded to reports of the destruction of the children’s hospital on X, writing that it was “a reminder of why we must support Ukraine and why clear Russian war criminals must be held accountable.”

US President Joe Biden also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Ukraine and called the missile attacks “a terrible reminder of Russia’s brutality.”

“It is critical that the world continues to stand with Ukraine at this important moment and that we do not ignore Russian aggression,” the president said in a statement.

Update 08/24/07, 8:33 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional comment from Biden.