A Russian military attack destroyed a crowded children’s hospital in central Kiev on Monday, part of larger airstrikes that have killed at least 20 people in cities across Ukraine.
At least 50 people were wounded in the crossfire, Interior Ministry Director General Igor Klimenko said, and authorities warned the death toll could rise.
In Kiev, local authorities said at least nine people were killed and 23 were wounded. The exact number of casualties was unclear. Okhmadit Children’s Hospital Elsewhere in the city, it was reported that shrapnel from a missile fired from the air crashed into a residential area, sparking fires.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said people were still trapped under rubble at a children’s hospital and that the exact number of casualties was not yet known.
Shortly after the attack, a woman was seen holding her small child, covered in dust and blood, near the entrance to Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital.
Frantic search and rescue efforts were underway there on Monday afternoon, with Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko saying more than 100 rescuers were at the scene. Outside the hospital, civilians formed a human chain and helped remove rubble piece by piece.
Doctors at the hospital, which treats 20,000 children a year, shared images of blood-soaked corridors, collapsed ceilings and destroyed operating theatres.
Ukraine’s Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said the intensive care unit, operating theatre and oncology department were all affected. He said the first job of hospital staff was to transfer patients to other facilities.
President Zelenskyy condemned the attack on the hospital, saying it had “saved and restored the health of thousands of children.”
“Russia cannot claim it does not know where the missiles are flying and must take full responsibility for all crimes it has committed,” he said in a statement. “It is now critical that the world does not remain silent on this matter and that everyone knows who Russia is and what it is doing.”
He said Russia had fired at least 40 long-range missiles at targets across Ukraine, with damage reported in Dnipro, Krivoy Rih, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
The attack came a day before NATO leaders were due to meet in Washington for their annual summit, where they were expected to announce plans to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses.
