Russian attack destroys children’s hospital in Kyiv

A Russian attack hit a crowded children’s hospital in central Kyiv on Monday, part of a large-scale airstrike that killed at least 20 people in cities across Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deadly barrage saw at least 40 long-range missiles fired at targets across the country and people trapped under the rubble of the children’s hospital. There were also reports of damage in central and eastern Ukraine, raising questions about the state of Ukraine’s air defenses just a day before NATO leaders were due to meet in Washington to discuss how to strengthen them.

At least 50 people were injured in the shelling, said Ihor Klymenko, the head of the Interior Ministry, but officials warned that the number of injured was likely to rise.

In Kyiv, local authorities said at least 17 people were killed and 41 injured. It is unclear how many of the victims were at the Ohmatdyt children’s hospital or other locations in the city, where fires were reported after debris from rockets fired from the sky hit residential areas.

The children’s hospital is the largest in Ukraine. Shortly after the attack, a woman carried a small child covered in dust and blood near the entrance.

A desperate search and rescue operation was underway there on Monday afternoon. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said more than 100 rescue workers were on site. Civilians formed a human chain outside the hospital to help clear the rubble, brick by brick.

Doctors and other staff at the hospital, which treats 20,000 children each year, showed images of blood-stained hallways, collapsed ceilings and destroyed operating rooms.

Dr. Tymofii Dvorovyi, a surgeon at the hospital, said he managed to get his patients into the bomb shelter immediately before the attack.

“I don’t know about other departments,” he said. “When the missile hit, surgeons were performing operations.”

After the explosion, he said, he saw dozens of “seriously injured” people staggering through the corridors.

A two-story hospital building located about 137 meters from the main hospital suffered the most damage. The building collapsed completely. The explosion also blew out the windows of the main hospital and sent shrapnel smashing into the building.

“Now we are evacuating the patients to another hospital,” said Dr. Dvorovyi.

Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said damage had been caused in intensive care units, operating rooms and the oncology department.

Mr Zelensky condemned the attack on the hospital, which he said “saved and restored the health of thousands of children”.

“Russia cannot claim that it does not know where its missiles are going and must be held accountable for all its crimes,” he said in a statement. “It is very important that the world does not remain silent about this now and that everyone sees what Russia is and what it is doing.”