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Children’s hospital hit as Russian strikes kill dozens in Ukraine

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A children’s hospital in Kyiv has been severely damaged by Russian strikes, resulting in 33 fatalities across Ukraine in an early morning attack. In Kyiv alone, 19 people were killed, including two at Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital, Ukraine’s largest pediatric facility, which suffered extensive damage. Kryvyi Rih saw at least 10 deaths, three people were killed in Pokrovsk, and one in Dnipro. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, currently in Poland signing a security pact, has vowed retaliation.

President Zelensky detailed on social media that multiple cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk, were hit by over 40 missiles, damaging residential buildings, infrastructure, and the children’s hospital. Dr. Lesia Lysytsia from Ohmatdyt described the missile strike as resembling a scene from a film, with a bright light followed by a deafening sound, resulting in 60-70% of the hospital being damaged. Images showed children with IV drips being evacuated. The hospital, which provides cancer treatments and organ transplants, is currently evacuating patients, though many on ventilators cannot be moved easily.

Hospital officials reported to Ukrainian TV that around 20 children were being treated in the ward that was hit. A subsequent explosion nearby forced hundreds to seek shelter in an underpass. President Zelensky mentioned on social media that people were trapped under the hospital rubble, with doctors and civilians assisting in the rescue efforts.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko described the bombardment as one of the worst attacks on the capital since the war began. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service revealed that a separate maternity unit in Kyiv was also partly destroyed, killing four and injuring three. Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina will wear a black ribbon at her Wimbledon match to honor the victims.

In Kryvyi Rih, the attack killed at least 10 and wounded 31, with 10 in serious condition, according to military administration head Oleksandr Vilkul. Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, has faced repeated attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Dnipro regional head Sergiy Lysak reported one death and six injuries in Dnipro, with a high-rise building and a business hit. Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region saw three deaths amid recent Russian advances.

The bombardment coincides with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Moscow, where he is set to meet President Vladimir Putin. Russia claimed the strikes targeted military facilities, not civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov called for increased air defense support from allies, citing insufficient current capabilities. The UN’s human rights mission in Ukraine noted a rise in civilian casualties, with May being the deadliest month in almost a year due to renewed Russian air attacks.

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Ukraine war: Children among eight dead in Russian strike on Dnipropetrovsk region

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Two separate Russian strikes in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region resulted in eight fatalities, including two children. The attacks targeted the main city of Dnipro and the town of Synelnykove, damaging homes and infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the necessity for cities to have sufficient air defenses following the incidents.

Additionally, Ukraine claimed to have downed a long-range bomber inside Russian territory for the first time. In Synelnykove, six people, including an eight-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, were killed during the strikes on private residences. Another child was critically injured, with several others wounded. The regional capital, Dnipro, also suffered casualties when the train station and a five-story building were hit, resulting in two deaths and numerous injuries.

Rescue efforts are ongoing, with concerns that the casualty count may increase. Ukraine has repeatedly raised alarms about its dwindling arsenal capable of defending against Russian attacks, prompting calls for urgent military assistance from NATO. The recent escalation follows a deadly attack in Chernihiv, where 18 people were killed by Iskander cruise missiles.

Despite months of obstruction, a $60.8 billion US military aid package has seen renewed interest from Republican lawmakers, with a potential vote looming. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force claimed to have downed a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, which crashed in Russia’s Stavropol region after launching a missile strike on Ukraine. Russia attributed the incident to a technical malfunction, with two pilots rescued and efforts underway to locate others. This marks the latest in a series of confrontations between the two nations, with Ukraine citing the bomber’s use of Kh-22 missiles in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

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Russian Missiles Strike Apartment Block and Security Service Building in Dnipro

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On Friday evening, Dnipro, an eastern Ukrainian city, experienced a missile attack that caused injuries to at least nine people, including two children, as reported by officials. A BBC team at the scene confirmed that the top floor of a large residential tower block was severely damaged in the strike. Additionally, a building belonging to Ukraine’s security services (SBU) was also hit, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attributed the attack to “Russian missile terror.” Zelensky shared a video on Telegram depicting the damaged buildings and a street-level fire.

Emergency meetings were convened by President Zelensky with the SBU, interior ministry, emergency services, and local officials in response to the incident. Fortunately, there have been no reported deaths from the attack. However, two children, aged 14 and 17, were among those injured and were receiving treatment at home, according to Regional head Serhiy Lysak. The missile strike occurred at 20:30 local time.

Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov revealed that this was the third time the SBU building had been targeted by Russia. Fortunately, both buildings struck were largely empty at the time. The residential tower had recently been completed, and units were being offered for sale.

In retaliation, Russia claimed that it intercepted two Ukrainian missiles over its southern Rostov region, resulting in 15 injuries from falling debris in the city of Taganrog. The Russian defense ministry stated that the first missile was directed at “residential infrastructure” in the city, while the second missile was downed near the city of Azov, causing debris to fall in an unpopulated area. Taganrog, a coastal city located about 25 miles (40km) from the Ukrainian border, is on the road leading to Mariupol, a strategic port city that had previously suffered significant damage from Russian shelling.

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Ukraine says Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is at risk

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According to Ukraine, Russia has been accused of detonating the dam. The reasoning behind this accusation is that Russia may have feared Ukraine’s potential use of the dam to facilitate troop movements in their recent counter-offensive.

The destruction of the dam is expected to have several consequences. One significant impact is on a crucial water channel that carries water from the Dnipro River to Crimea, which is currently under Russian occupation. The channel originates from Nova Khakovka and is likely to be affected by the dam’s destruction. Additionally, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, located approximately 160km upstream on the banks of the Dnipro, is also at risk.

Andryi Yermak, the head of President Zelensky’s office, stated that Russia would bear responsibility for depriving the people of Crimea of drinking water. Yermak further emphasized that Russia’s actions pose a threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP).

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Ukraine War: Zelensky adviser resigns over Dnipro remarks

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Oleksiy Arestovych, a presidential adviser for Ukraine, has submitted his resignation after alleging that Kiev shot down a Russian missile that struck a building in Dnipro and killed 44 people.

Mr. Arestovych expressed regret and admitted to having made a “basic error.” The original comment incited intense resentment throughout the nation, and Russian officials used it as an excuse to accuse Ukraine.

The adviser is well-known due to his regular YouTube updates, which are viewed by millions of people. Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has yet to respond to Mr. Arestovych’s resignation.

Mr. Arestovych initially stated that it looked that the Russian missile had fallen on the structure after being shot down by Ukrainian air defences hours after Saturday’s missile strike on an apartment building in Dnipro. The structure was allegedly struck by a Russian Kh-22 missile, which Ukraine claimed was exceedingly inaccurate and beyond its ability to shoot down.

When Mr. Arestovych made his original remarks, the Ukrainian public responded strongly, with some claiming he had strengthened the position of Russian propagandists. A petition advocating for Mr. Arestovych’s dismissal as a government official was signed by certain Ukrainian lawmakers. Later, he published a statement announcing his retirement and admitting that he had committed a “fundamental error.”

“I offer my sincere apologies to the victims and their relatives, the residents of Dnipro and everyone who was deeply hurt by my prematurely erroneous version of the reason for the Russian missile striking a residential building,” he wrote in a longer post on Telegram.

One of the war’s most well-known Ukrainian faces is Mr. Arestovych, who regularly holds debates on the conflict on his YouTube channel. His videos frequently receive more than 200,000 views, and the channel has more than 1.6 million subscribers. He speaks in Russian instead of Ukrainian, which is unusual for Ukrainian officials.

Before he offered to leave, Russian authorities had used his words to attribute the strike to Kiev.

Russian attacks “do not damage residential buildings,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who also claimed that “certain officials of the Ukrainian side” had come to the same conclusion.

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