At least 36 people were killed and dozens wounded in Russia’s worst airstrikes against Ukrainian cities since the start of the invasion. But the most dramatic scenes emerged near the Okhmadyt Children’s Hospital in Kiev, which was partially destroyed by a Russian missile.
According to local authorities, in the capital alone, 21 people died and 35 were injured. It was “one of the worst attacks” since the start of the war, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko, quoted by Reuters. The worst damage appears to be at Okhmadyt Children’s Hospital, the country’s largest pediatric facility, where people were left under rubble awaiting rescue.
In the vicinity of the hospital, after the blast, parents ran with children in their arms, Reuters reported. “It was scary, I couldn’t breathe, I tried to hide [o bebé]I tried to cover him with a cloth so he could breathe,” said 33-year-old Svitlana Kravchenko.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social network X that “more than 40 missiles of various types” had been launched, hitting and damaging “apartment buildings, infrastructure and a children’s hospital”. At this stage, everyone is trying to clear the rubble. [tanto] Doctors [como] Ordinary people,” Zelensky said of the Okhmatyd hospital.
Russian terrorists have again launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine. Different cities – Kiev, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk. More than 40 missiles of different types. Apartment buildings, infrastructure, children’s hospital were damaged.
All… pic.twitter.com/8mN73BKLuY
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / ????????? ????????? (@ZelenskyyUa) July 8, 2024
The attack on the children’s hospital drew worldwide condemnation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the blast as “particularly shocking” and a Security Council meeting was scheduled for Tuesday to discuss it.
According to Zelensky, in addition to Kiev, the cities of Dnipro, Krivi Rih were affected. (The Zelensky’s hometown)Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, both in Donbass.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration of the city of Kryvyi Rih, said at least ten people were killed and 31 wounded in the attack on the city.
According to the most recent report, three more died in Pokrovsk and one in Dnipro. In all, at least 50 civilian buildings, including apartments, offices and medical facilities, were affected, the home ministry said.
Russia has been conducting airstrikes on targets across Ukraine for months, usually targeting energy infrastructure, but sometimes hitting residential areas in city centers. Although it considers the Ukrainian energy grid a legitimate military target, Moscow guarantees that it will not deliberately hit civilian sites.
A series of Russian airstrikes have been cited by Ukrainian officials as an example to pressure their allies to step up military support for Kiev. “Our defense capabilities are not enough, we still need air defense systems,” Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said this Monday, ahead of the NATO summit, where military assistance to Ukraine was one of the topics on the table.
Orban in China
Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continues his trip, which he describes as a “peace mission” to try to reach a solution to the war in Ukraine. This Monday, Orbán was due to meet President Xi Jinping in Beijing, once again in a previously unannounced visit to support the Chinese push for peace in Ukraine.
“China is an important force in creating conditions for peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” the Hungarian prime minister said.
Beijing, along with Brazil, has put forward a six-point peace proposal, in which an international peace conference is planned with the participation of Russia and Ukraine. The move is seen as interfering with efforts by Kiev and its Western partners to organize a summit in Switzerland last month, which China did not attend, in which they wanted to show broad support for Zelensky’s plan.
However, many countries in the so-called Global South refused to sign the final declaration.
In Kiev, Orban’s visit to Beijing was poorly received, as was his meeting with Vladimir Putin last week in Moscow.
“In parallel with the planned attack on children in the Ukrainian capital, the leaders of Hungary and China have again called for an ‘immediate cease-fire.'”
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