The Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, was allegedly hit by a Russian missile during attacks across Ukraine today that killed at least 36 people. The Security Service of Ukraine identified the missile as a Russian X-101 cruise missile. Video showed the missile just before impacting a building, which Ukraine claims was the hospital.
During a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Ukraine would retaliate. “We will retaliate against these people, we will deliver a powerful response from our side to Russia, for sure. The question to our partners is: can they respond?”
The UN Security Council announced it will meet tomorrow in response to the attack. Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres stating, “Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law, and any such attacks are unacceptable and must end immediately.”
U.K. Ambassador Barbara Woodward stated the UN Security Council will call out the Russian attack, stating on X, “The children of Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital gave me this last year. It hangs in my office. We will call out Russia’s cowardly and depraved attack on the hospital last night in the Security Council. As @DavidLammy said: we will hold those responsible for this war to account.”
Russia denies it targeted the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating it was a Ukrainian air-defense missile that hit the hospital. “I urge you to be guided by the statements of the Russian Ministry of Defence, which absolutely excludes that there were attacks on civilian targets and which states that we are talking about a falling anti-missile system,” Peskov continued, reiterating Russia does not target civilians: “We continue to insist that we do not attack civilian targets. Strikes are carried out against critical infrastructure facilities, against military targets that are in one way or another related to the military potential of the regime.”
