At Least 2 Dead After Russia Strikes Ukrainian Children’s Hospital—Here’s What To Know

 

The Russian military fired more than 40 missiles across Ukraine, killing more than two dozen people.

KEY FACTS

The Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv was hit by a Russian missile earlier on Monday, killing one doctor and another adult, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the number of casualties from the strike on the hospital is still unknown as people are still trapped under rubble.

One hospital employee said in a statement to the BBC that up to 70% of the hospital was damaged by the missile, including one wing that was destroyed and another that was on fire, while patients are being evacuated to a nearby hospital despite many being on ventilators.

Viktor Liashko, Ukraine’s health minister, reportedly said the hospital’s intensive care units, oncology departments and surgery units had been damaged.

More than 40 Russian missiles were fired across Ukraine on Monday, attacking several cities—including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kramatorsk, among others—and damaging apartment buildings and infrastructure, Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said at least 20 people have died and another 61 people were injured in Kyiv, while at least 31 people and another 125 were injured across Ukraine because of the strikes.

BIG NUMBER

20,000. That’s how many children are treated at Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital every year.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

A three-day NATO summit will start Tuesday in Washington, D.C., where the alliance is expected to discuss additional military support for Ukraine. Zelensky said Monday he and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed an agreement that includes Polish supplies for shooting down Russian missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later Monday, his first visit to Russia in five years, though not much is known about what they will discuss.

KEY BACKGROUND

Russia has repeatedly denied attacking civilian buildings or infrastructure during its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and several human rights organizations, like Amnesty International, have accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity, including attacks on civilians and the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children. Calls for peace between Ukraine and Russia have accelerated in recent months, after Putin said he was prepared to “freeze” Russia’s war in Ukraine. Zelensky has opposed Putin’s terms for peace, which would gift Russia about 18% of occupied Ukrainian territory, saying peace talks with the Russian president are “impossible.” A peace summit was held in Switzerland last month, where nearly 80 countries called for Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” to be maintained in any peace negotiations.