Ukraine calls on ICC to investigate attack on Kyiv children’s hospital as crime against humanity

July 12, 2024

Ukraine’s chief prosecutor has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Russia over a missile attack on a children’s hospital that killed or injured dozens of doctors and civilians.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, who was in The Hague, where the ICC is based, for talks with judicial officials, said one reason why it was worth bringing the attack to court was because Kyiv wanted to prove the systematic nature of Russian attacks on civilians.

“In the interests of international justice, cases such as the deliberate attack on the largest children’s hospital in Kyiv are worth referring to the ICC,” he said.

At least 44 people were killed and around 200 injured in Monday’s Russian attacks. A UN aid worker described the incident as “one of the worst attacks” they had seen since February 2022, when the large-scale invasion began.

The attacks rocked cities across the country, killing ten people in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, alone. However, three-quarters of the fatalities came from the capital.

According to the city’s military administration, two adults were killed and around 90 people were injured in the attack on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in central Kyiv, while another 31 people died in six other districts of the city.

Ukraine’s Health Ministry said the pediatric toxicology department was “completely destroyed” and dozens more departments were damaged, forcing hundreds of patients in need of urgent care to be transferred for further treatment. Part of the country’s only oncology and hematology laboratory was also damaged.

In a written response to questions from The IndependentThey added that they were aware of several “cases in which children undergoing surgery were injured by glass fragments caused by an explosion.”

The ICC does not comment publicly on its investigations but confirmed that one of its teams had visited the site of the hospital attack and warned that anyone found responsible for attacks on civilian facilities could face criminal prosecution. The ICC has already issued six arrest warrants for alleged Russian crimes in Ukraine, including one against President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Kostin said an investigation could help uncover a pattern of attacks that shows Russia is committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

Last month, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian security adviser Sergei Shoigu and army chief Valery Gerasimov in connection with alleged attacks on civilians.

Moscow denies attacking the hospital and blames Ukrainian missile defense fire for the destruction of the clinic, one of Europe’s largest hospitals, which treats patients with serious illnesses such as cancer and kidney disease.

But a UN human rights mission said there was a “high probability” that the hospital was hit directly by a Russian missile, and the Ukrainian security service said it had clear evidence that the medical facility was hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.

Mr Kostin said the decision to initiate prosecution rested solely with the ICC Prosecutor, adding that Ukraine was ready to provide the court with any evidence or details of its investigation.

“It is important to show that Russia itself is a criminal state at the moment,” he said.