Biden condemns ‘Russian aggression’ as Ukraine mourns attack on children’s hospital

They searched through the night, carefully sifting through the rubble of Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, which was partially destroyed in the attacks. President Joe Biden called it “a horrific reminder of Russia’s brutality.”

As Ukraine mourned on Tuesday, authorities ended the search and rescue operation following the attack, which severely damaged the renowned Ochmatdyt Children’s Hospital.

As emergency responders rushed to clean up the damage and get the facility back up and running, Danielle Bell, head of the United Nations human rights mission, said there was “a high probability that the children’s hospital suffered a direct hit.”

Ukraine’s Health Ministry said on Monday that a doctor and a patient’s relative were killed in the attack on the facility. As a result of the attack, an open-heart surgery was interrupted, forcing young cancer patients to undergo their treatments outdoors.

Medical staff and patients were filmed walking through the rubble in blood-stained clothing, apparently dazed. Videos from inside the hospital showed windows blown out and falling onto patients’ beds, and blood splattered on the floor.

Roman Petrushev, a Red Cross volunteer in Ukraine, said hundreds of civilians were clearing away rubble when he arrived at the scene. “It was just a shock,” he told NBC News on Tuesday, adding that he saw blood-stained corridors and destroyed units with modern equipment at the hospital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack on Tuesday, saying 38 people had been killed in a massive Russian missile attack on the capital Kyiv and cities in central and eastern Ukraine. Four children were among the dead, he said. A total of 190 people were injured, he added.

Russia “must be held accountable,” he said in a separate statement. In another In a post on X, Zelenskyy criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his visit to Moscow, where he met with President Vladimir Putin.

“It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see, on such a day, the leader of the world’s largest democracy embracing the world’s most bloodthirsty criminal in Moscow,” he wrote after pictures emerged showing Modi and Putin embracing.

Amid widespread international condemnation of the attacks, President Joe Biden called them “a horrific reminder of Russian brutality” in a White House statement.

He stressed that Washington’s support for Ukraine was “unwavering” and said it was “critical that the world continues to stand with Ukraine at this important moment and that we do not ignore Russian aggression.”

His statement came on the eve of a NATO summit in Washington marking the 75th anniversary of the transatlantic alliance. Zelensky will attend the summit along with the leaders of countries that have provided Kyiv with tens of billions of dollars in military aid.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said on Tuesday that it had evidence that the hospital was hit directly and deliberately by a Russian Kh-101 missile. Investigators found fragments of the rocket engine and parts of the fuselage and wing opening mechanism at the scene. The SBU said its conclusion was based on the analysis of the missile’s trajectory, the nature of the damage and a large number of videos and photos of the missile’s flight.

Bell, the head of the UN observation mission, also said on Tuesday that there was “a high probability that the children’s hospital suffered a direct hit and not damage from an intercepted weapons system.” However, further investigations are needed.

Russia has denied responsibility. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said a Western-supplied NASAMS anti-aircraft missile hit the hospital instead. “This has already been confirmed, including by numerous witnesses,” she said, without providing evidence for her claim.

NBC News could not independently confirm which type of missile hit the hospital.

But the authorities were already counting the costs. The Ukrainian Ministry of Health announced that the hospital’s toxicology department had been completely destroyed. The surgical and intensive care units suffered significant damage, as did recently built departments for oncology and radiotherapy for young patients.

“Part of the country’s only oncology and hematology laboratory was also lost,” it said.

During the war, which has lasted more than 28 months, Russian shells and rockets have completely destroyed more than 200 medical facilities in Ukraine, the country’s Ministry of Health said on Monday. Another 1,630 medical facilities have been damaged.

An analysis by the Institute for the Study of War said Monday’s Russian missile strikes likely used “a new and remarkable tactic” to maximize damage, adding that Ukraine would need to learn to respond to the low altitude before the attack.