Russian war of aggression - Ukraine hopes for outside help after missile attack
Ukraine hopes for more international support after the deadliest Russian air raid on Kiev this year. "We continue to work on the protection of our cities and communities from Russian terror", wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media X. He thanked all foreign politicians preparing new steps to protect Ukraine.
The United Nations placed the air raid in a Security Council emergency session near the threshold of a war crime. "I would like to remind this Council that hospitals, according to international law, enjoy special protection. Deliberate attacks on a protected hospital are a war crime and the perpetrators must be held accountable", said Joyce Msuya, the acting chief of the UN Humanitarian Affairs Office Ocha before the Security Council in New York.
Since Russia holds veto power in the Security Council, any action against Moscow's aggression by the most powerful UN body is excluded. At the same time, the focus of the NATO summit in Washington is expected to be on how to better help Ukraine.
More than 40 deaths nationwide
The number of fatalities in Kiev from the air raid on Monday morning had risen to 31 according to the latest count. There were 117 injured. Kiev was last severely hit shortly before the new year with at least 32 deaths. Nationwide, the Ukraine suffered at least 42 deaths and 190 injuries from the latest attack wave.
In Kiev, a day of mourning was set for today. At the Ochmatdyt Children's Hospital (Mother and Child Protection) with its completely destroyed facade, rescue work was halted after over 24 hours. Hundreds of rescuers, medics, and volunteers had searched for victims in the rubble until exhaustion. On Monday, rescued cancer-stricken children were sitting on their mothers' laps on the street with intravenous drips. In the clinic, two adults were killed, including a doctor.
Moscow denies strike hit target
Ukraine believes in a targeted attack. According to reports from Kiev, video recordings allegedly show the unhindered approach of a Tochka-U missile Ch-101 to the building. The Russian military denies this without evidence. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged the public to adhere to this version. "We do not strike civilian targets. There are only strikes against critical infrastructure or military targets", Peskov told Tass. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also claimed that the hospital was hit by a Ukrainian NASAMS anti-aircraft missile.
Russia shelled Kiev, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, and other cities with nearly 40 rockets and cruise missiles on Monday. The hospital was hit by a Russian Ch-101 missile according to preliminary UN Human Rights Office investigations. The experts had analyzed video footage and inspected the damage on site, said Danielle Bell, the head of the UN Human Rights Observer Mission in Ukraine. She called this "one of the most horrific attacks we have experienced since the start of the invasion".
All 600 patients at the hospital were taken to other healthcare facilities. The hospital, where many children with cancer and other serious diseases were treated, was heavily damaged and cannot be used anymore without significant repairs. The attack was sharply criticized internationally. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) called it a war crime. Germany will take in some of the sick Ukrainian children for further treatment.
In a destroyed house near the Kiev clinic, seven people were killed, including three children. A boy was found dead there at night. Two people died in an unspecified industrial plant. Unofficial reports suggest attacks on a weapons manufacturing company. In another partially destroyed hospital, nine people died, and seven people in a business center.
Ukraine sends swarms of combat drones to Russia
Ukraine responded with intensified drone attacks to the heavy Russian rocket barrage. Swarms of drones reached areas in Russia. A fuel depot of the oil company Lukoil in the Volgograd region was set on fire. Regional governor Andrey Borodov accused drone debris for the damage. These drones had fallen on the depot in the city of Kalatsch am Don.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that, in the night to Tuesday, 38 Ukrainian combat drones were intercepted over the regions of Belgorod, Kursk, Voronezh, Rostov, and Astrakhan. At the airports of Volgograd and Astrakhan, no planes could take off or land temporarily.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for two years. Since it lacks heavy distance weapons, it tries to compensate for this deficiency through targeted drone attacks. The damages, however, are in no way proportional to the devastating consequences of Russian bombardments on Ukraine.
Scholz promises support to Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) reiterated long-term support for Ukraine against the Russian attack war. "And it's good that we have reiterated this in the last few days with a clear message: We will stand by Ukraine as long as it is necessary," Scholz said in Berlin before his departure to the NATO summit in Washington. He referred to weapons deliveries and the joint initiative of the major industrial nations. The G7 countries had agreed at their summit in Italy to finance a credit package of approximately 50 billion US dollars (about 47 billion euros) using frozen Russian state assets and their interest.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, expressed hope for more international support following the deadliest Russian air raid on Kiev this year.
- The United Nations placed the air raid in a Security Council emergency session, bringing the issue close to the threshold of a war crime.
- As Russia holds veto power in the Security Council, any action against Moscow's aggression by the most powerful UN body is excluded.
- The number of fatalities in Kiev from the air raid on Monday morning had risen to 31, with 117 injured.
- In Kiev, a day of mourning was set for the victims of the air raid, and rescue work at the Ochmatdyt Children's Hospital was halted after over 24 hours.
- German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) called the attack on the hospital a war crime and announced that Germany will take in some sick Ukrainian children for further treatment.
- Russia denies that the strike hit the target in Kiev, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claiming they do not strike civilian targets.
- Scholz, the German Chancellor, reiterated long-term support for Ukraine against the Russian attack war, promising continued assistance.
- Ukraine responded to the heavy Russian rocket barrage with intensified drone attacks, reaching areas in Russia and causing significant damage.
