The UN Security Council is set to hold a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss Russia’s deadly missile strike in Ukraine, which partially destroyed a children’s hospital in Kyiv and killed at least 37 people.
The emergency session was called in response to the brazen daytime aerial assault launched by Moscow on Monday, which targeted multiple cities across Ukraine during morning rush hour. In addition to the fatalities, 170 others were injured, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian leader said in a post on X that the exact number of casualties at the hospital was not yet known and that “there are people under the rubble” but that everyone from doctors to local residents are helping clear debris in the strike’s aftermath.
“Apartment buildings, infrastructure, and a children’s hospital have been damaged. All services are engaged to rescue as many people as possible,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X.
Ukraine shot down 30 out of 38 missiles launched by Russia during its attack on Monday, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement, adding that Moscow used ballistic, cruise, guided and air-launched ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian defense minister, Rustem Umerov, appealed for more air defense systems to support the war-torn country. Zelensky has repeatedly called on the West to provide it with more air defense systems to better protect its cities. Last month, he praised Biden for prioritizing the delivery of air defense systems after the two presidents signed a security agreement between their nations.
Air raid sirens continued to ring out over Kyiv in the aftermath, with CNN video showing people who had been evacuated outside the hospital pushing children on stretchers to safety in shelters. Scores of volunteers later dropped off much-needed supplies and donations – including water, food, medicine and diapers – to the hospital.
As the situation in Ukraine remains dire, the international community looks to the UN for leadership and decisive action to prevent further loss of life and to support the victims of this tragic conflict.