Strike in Russian children’s hospitals ahead of NATO summit backfires

• A massive Russian attack hit several targets in Ukraine, including a children’s hospital.
• The attack occurred shortly before an important NATO summit at which support for Ukraine is a major topic.
• One expert said the Russian attack was a “failure” because it made clear how much Ukraine needs these defenses.

Russia’s deadly attacks on Ukraine just days before the NATO summit, including an attack on a children’s hospital, are a devastating blow to the country. They have sparked outrage in Ukraine, attracted international media attention and bolstered support from partner countries – all at a time when war fatigue is threatening Kyiv’s efforts.

Monday’s attack was one of the heaviest against Ukraine in months, destroying parts of the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in the capital Kyiv, where children receive cancer treatment and organ transplants, as well as facilities in other cities. Ukraine said at least 41 people were killed and 166 others injured in the attack.

The attack highlighted how important air defense is for Ukraine, and what the country has long asked its Western partners for.

Russia’s attack attracted more attention than the recent developments in Ukraine. Pictures of injured and bloodied children and of searches in the rubble spread on the Internet.

“Russia’s missile strikes that killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians today and caused damage and casualties at Kyiv’s largest children’s hospital are a terrible reminder of Russia’s brutality,” US President Joe Biden said afterwards.

Biden said at the NATO summit on Tuesday that a number of alliance members would supply Ukraine with dozens of air defense systems in the coming months, including at least four more Patriot systems.

While such an announcement would have been a long time coming, the timing of the Russian attack, one day before NATO’s biggest event, highlighted Ukraine’s plight at an important time as the alliance considers its next steps and potentially solidifies its convictions.

Air defense priorities

The annual NATO summit began in Washington DC on Tuesday. The heads of state and government of the 75-year-old Western military alliance came together to discuss its priorities, including Ukraine.

Ukraine’s main goal at the summit was to secure its air defenses. The missile attacks the day before underlined this need, just before the biggest NATO meeting of the year, where Ukraine and its partners can come together, negotiate and reach agreements.

After the deadly Russian missile attack, children suffering from cancer had to be evacuated and transported with medical tubes still in their bodies. Rescue workers and volunteers rummaged through the rubble of the attack. The Ukrainian presidential office released a picture of a child awake in a woman’s arms, suffering a head injury and covered in blood and dust.

Rajan Menon, a scholar at Columbia University’s Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, said the Russian attacks “backfired” because they highlighted Ukraine’s urgent need for stronger air defenses.

He said that attention had been drawn to the Russian attacks and Ukraine’s needs because one of the sites affected was a children’s hospital. Ukraine’s cities have long been bombed, but this particular tragedy sparked renewed outrage. “The type of site and the type of inmates made a very big difference,” Menon said.

After the attack, Ukraine demanded more than just air defense from its international partners.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said the Russian missile attack and its timing should show that the alliance will not do everything necessary to help Ukraine, despite the deaths of children. Ukrainian officials say allies must lift restrictions on attacks on military targets in Russia, where many attacks originate, and provide additional support to Ukraine.

Highlighting Ukraine’s needs

One of Russia’s most brutal tactics in the invasion was to fire drone and missile barrages at Ukrainian towns far from the front lines in the east of the country. These attacks killed civilians and destroyed power supplies, residential and medical buildings.

Ukraine asked its allies for more help during the Russian invasion and received many systems from the West. But Ukraine has repeatedly said it needs more, but these requests rarely make international headlines anymore.

Today, more than two years after the war began, many of Russia’s missile attacks no longer provoke a major international reaction. But this week’s attack was different. World leaders, including the EU’s foreign policy chief and the UN chief, publicly condemned the attacks.

Menon said the attack had “without question” attracted more public attention from world leaders than other recent events in Ukraine.

He said: “When you hit not just a hospital or a children’s hospital – and not just a children’s hospital, but a children’s hospital where children are being treated for cancer – then there can hardly be anything more brutal.”

The French Foreign Minister described the attacks as “barbaric” and a “war crime” and immediately called on Ukraine’s allies to increase their support.

The new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned “attacks on innocent children” as “the most reprehensible of all acts”.

Biden called the attacks “horrific” and said, “I will meet with President Zelensky to make clear that our support for Ukraine is unwavering.”

The Russian missile attacks were also a major topic of discussion at the NATO summit. The Ukrainian parliament speaker began his speech by holding up photos of the aftermath and described them as Russian President Vladimir Putin laughing at the red lines set by the West, adding that this showed that the remaining restrictions must be lifted.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also spoke at the start of the summit. Blinken acknowledged the attack on the hospital and said it “underscores” that Russian aggression continues.

A devastating blow

The children’s hospital was apparently hit by a Russian Kh-101 missile, which the British Ministry of Defence had previously described as one of Russia’s “most valuable weapons”. However, it is unclear whether the hospital was Russia’s intended target.

War analysts who viewed videos of the attack said there were no signs of damage or breakage to the missile that would suggest it had drifted off course. But Russia has long struggled with the reliability of its intelligence and the accuracy of its devastating strikes.

A UN investigation found that the children’s hospital was likely hit directly by a Russian missile, possibly a Kh-101. Ukraine also said it had found the remains of a Kh-101 at the site.

Moscow has denied hitting the hospital, arguing instead that a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile was responsible. Russia has repeatedly made claims throughout the invasion that have been refuted by evidence. War analysts have said available visual evidence refutes Russia’s claims.

Russia has attacked numerous hospitals, medical facilities and civilian objects during its war.

Menon said: “Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether Russia did it intentionally, whether it was a misguided missile or whether some commander screwed up. The fact is that it was done and it is a war crime in the legal sense.”

Several Ukrainian politicians also described the missile attack as a war crime and a UN representative said: “The deliberate attack on a protected hospital is a war crime and the perpetrators must be held accountable.”

Ukraine’s new air defense systems will strengthen the country’s ability to prevent such attacks, but they are unlikely to fully meet the country’s defense needs. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in April that Ukraine needs 25 Patriot systems, each with six to eight batteries, to fully protect the country.

This is already a tall order, but Ukraine wants its international partners to go further. It wants a clear path into NATO and the lifting of remaining restrictions on attacks on legitimate targets in Russia. It remains unclear whether the ongoing NATO summit will produce these results.

Senior defense reporter Jake Epstein contributed to this coverage from the NATO summit.