UN: Children's clinic in Kiev "very likely" hit by Russian missile
Video recordings showed that the Ochmatdyt Children's Clinic in Ukraine was "directly" hit by a Russian-launched ballistic missile of the type CH-101, according to Danielle Bell, head of the UN Mission for Human Rights Observation in Ukraine. This was one of the "most horrifying attacks" since the beginning of the Russian offensive in February 2022.
Previously, UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk had condemned the attack on the children's clinic as "abhorrent." "Among the victims were the sickest children in Ukraine."
Immediately after the hospital was shelled, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported that evidence, including fragments of a CH-101 rocket's rear section and a serial number, had been found on site. Moscow, however, denied responsibility and claimed that the hospital was hit by falling debris from Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles.
Russia bombarded Ukraine with massive attacks on Monday, according to Ukrainian authorities, who released a casualty count on Tuesday: Approximately 40 people were killed nationwide by dozens of Russian rockets, and at least 190 more were injured. In Kiev alone, there were 31 deaths - including four children.
On Tuesday morning, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, five more bodies were recovered from the rubble of a house in the western district of Syrets. Seven people - five nurses and two patients - died at a private clinic in the eastern part of the city.
The attack on the Ochmatdyt Hospital, the largest children's clinic in the country, caused particular outrage. Two people were killed, and 32 more were injured.
According to the Ukrainian Health Ministry, of the approximately 630 patients being treated in the clinic, 94 were transferred to other hospitals in the capital. Over 460 had to return home, and 68 remained in undamaged buildings.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the heavy attacks. The highest UN body was scheduled to meet in New York on Wednesday afternoon.
Almost simultaneously, the NATO anniversary summit was set to begin in Washington, D.C., where the further support for the Ukrainian army in its fight against Russian troops was one of the main topics. Zelenskyy was also scheduled to attend the summit, where he was pressing for increased Western weapons supplies.
Before the start of the NATO summit, US President Joe Biden announced "new measures" to strengthen Ukraine's air defense. The United States and its allies would make this new support public at their summit. Biden described the massive rocket attacks on Ukraine as a "terrible reminder of Russia's brutality" in the war, which began in February 2022.
Apparently, in response to the attacks on Monday, the Ukrainian army attacked several Russian regions. The governor of the border region of Belgorod announced on Tuesday that at least four people had been killed in the attacks within 24 hours. Ukrainian attacks were also reported from other western Russian regions, including Kursk and Volgograd.
In the Belgorod region, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, there were not only four fatalities but also 20 people injured. The past 24 hours were described by Gladkov on Telegram as "restless" and "difficult."
The Defense Ministry in Moscow reported that 38 Ukrainian drones were destroyed during the night. Among them, 21 were destroyed over the Rostov region and five over Astrakhan. The Astrakhan governor spoke of a "massive attempt to target objectives with drones."
- The UN Mission for Human Rights Observation in Ukraine, led by Danielle Bell, reported that a Russian-launched CH-101 missile hit the Ochmatdyt Children's Clinic in Moscow's statement was refuted.
- Volker Turk, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, condemned the attack on the children's clinic as "abhorrent," mentioning the sickest children of Ukraine among the victims.
- Following the shelling of the hospital, the SBU found evidence of a CH-101 rocket on the site, contradicting Moscow's claim that the hospital was hit by Ukrainian anti-aircraft debris.
- The Russian-launched missile attack on a children's hospital in Ukraine, as claimed by Danielle Bell, was one of the "most horrifying attacks" since the beginning of the conflict, according to Volker Turk.
- The largest children's clinic in Ukraine, the Ochmatdyt Hospital, was hit by a Russian rocket, causing the death of two people and injuring 32 others, adding to the already high number of casualties in Ukraine.
- Volodymyr Selenskyy, the Ukrainian President, called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting in response to the heavy attacks on Ukraine, with the UN scheduled to meet in New York on Wednesday afternoon.
- In the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged for a peaceful resolution, expressing concern over the increasing bombardment of civilian areas in Ukraine.
- Amidst the bombardment of Ukraine by Russian rockets, Volker Türk, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasized the need to protect civilians and ensure accountability for any violations of international humanitarian law.
