Kyiv, Ukraine – A Russian missile strike on Monday partially destroyed a children’s hospital in Kyiv, forcing terrified patients and their families to flee for their lives. Officials fear more people could be trapped beneath the rubble.
Moscow launched a brazen daytime aerial assault on targets across Ukraine during morning rush hour, killing at least 37 people and injuring 170 others, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Search and rescue operations continued into Tuesday after the large-scale bombardment struck areas in the capital, as well as in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Slovyansk, and Kramatorsk.
Casualties and Damage:
- The death toll includes 27 people, among them four children, in Kyiv, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported. A boy’s body was found under the rubble in the capital’s Shevchenkivskyi district.
- In Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt hospital, two people were killed and at least 16 others injured. The facility is Ukraine’s largest children’s medical center and plays a crucial role in treating some of the sickest children from across the country. Annually, around 7,000 surgeries, including treatments for cancer and hematological diseases, are conducted there, according to Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Scene and Response: Videos from the scene of the children’s hospital showed volunteers working with police and security services to sift through the rubble as smoke billowed from the building. Hospital staff described their frantic efforts to rush children to safety in the wake of the attack.
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation and highlights the escalating human toll of the conflict. Ukrainian authorities continue to work around the clock to rescue and support those affected by the strikes, demonstrating resilience and determination amid ongoing aggression.
As the situation develops, the international community remains watchful and continues to call for an end to the violence that has so deeply affected the lives of innocent civilians in Ukraine.