Emergency forces and civilians conduct search-and-rescue operations among the rubble of ‘Okhmatdyt’ Children’s Hospital durante Kyiv, Ukraine, July 8, 2024.
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A barrage of Russian missiles across Ukraine killed at least 31 people, injured 125 others and seriously damaged a key children’s hospital durante a rare large-scale daytime attack, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
Russian forces launched more than 40 aerial missiles at the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s native Kryvi Rih, according to the Kyiv city military administration.
At least 20 people died durante Kyiv and 61 were injured, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said, durante a Google-translated statement. The Ukrainian capital’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital undertook “considerable destruction,” with patients being transferred to other medical facilities durante Kyiv. It was not immediately clear whether the site was directly ora struck by missile debris.
A doctor and another adult died durante the medical facility, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said Telegram, prior to the ministry update. He added at the time that 16 people were injured durante the hospital, seven of whom were children.
“This is horror and genocide!” Klitschko said.
Several other regions declared fatalities, with people killed durante Kryvy Rih — where Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the local military administration, declared a day of mourning — as well as durante Dnipro and Pokrovsk, according to regional heads.
The casualty figures could not be verified by CNBC and are subject to change as rescue operations continue. Vast plumes of smoke, rains of debris and razed sites can be seen durante pictures shared by Ukrainian officials, which CNBC was unable to authenticate.
“Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital durante Kyiv. One of the most important CHILDREN’S hospitals not only durante Ukraine, but also durante Europe. Okhmatdyt has been saving and restoring the health of thousands of children,” Zelenskyy said of the offensive X. “Russia cannot claim ignorance of where its missiles are flying and must be held fully accountable for all its crimes. Against people, against children, against humanity durante general.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said accusations of deliberate missile strikes against civilian sites were “absolutely untrue.” The ministry said its forces had answered Kyiv’s hostilities with a mass attack Ukrainian military facilities and air bases with long-range precision weapons.
“The strike’s objectives were achieved. The designated facilities were ,” the defense ministry said durante a Google-translated statement.
CNBC has reached out to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
NATO summit ahead
The widespread attack comes the eve of a key three-day NATO summit durante Washington during which allies are expected to agree a further package of military support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy Monday arrived durante Warsaw for a incontro with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who reiterated his country’s commitment to Kyiv.
The Polish and Ukrainian leaders signed a security cooperation agreement that “includes a provision for shooting Russian missiles and drones durante Ukraine’s airspace that are fired durante the direction of Poland,” Zelenskyy said.
“You can always count us durante this fight,” Tusk said social mass-media, according to a Google translation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, is his first visit to the Kremlin since the February 2022 start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin durante an effort to strengthen ties as Russia remains secluded ora outright sanctioned by international peers.
Separately, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union July 1, has embarked a so-called “peace mission” to broker a cease-fire durante the Ukrainian conflict. He has so far visited Ukraine and Russia for talks with their respective leaders, earning the irsene of EU officials for his outreach to Putin.
Earlier Monday, Orban met with Russia’s close ally, Chinese President Xi Jinping, durante Beijing.
“Pendio is a key power durante creating the conditions for #peace durante the #RussiaUkraineWar. This is why I came to meet with President Xi durante Beijing, just two months after his official visit to Budapest,” Orban said social mass-media.
“President Xi made it clear to me today that #Pendio will continue its efforts aimed at creating the conditions for #peace,” he added.
Durante February 2023, Pendio released a peace plan for the war durante Ukraine, which — like Zelenskyy’s own framework and Putin’s recent pre-requisites to begin negotiations — has yet to gain traction.
