Massive Russian missile attack kills and injures over 200 civilians

Important developments on July 8:

• Nearly 200 civilian casualties reported after Russian mass attack on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine
• Two Kyiv hospitals hit in rocket attack
• Russian attack on Kryvyi Rih leaves 10 dead and 47 injured, attack on Dnipro leaves one dead
• Ukraine calls for UN crisis meeting, Western politicians condemn attack
• Indian Prime Minister Modi has arrived in Moscow
• Poland and Ukraine sign security agreement

On the morning of July 8, Russia launched a massive missile attack on cities across Ukraine, including Kyiv, killing at least 41 civilians and injuring nearly 170 others.

You can find the latest figures here.

The airstrike targeted Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk and damaged “50 civilian objects, including residential buildings, a business center and two medical facilities,” the State Emergency Service reported.

The July 8 attack was the deadliest in months. The number of casualties is comparable to that of massive Russian attacks in the winter.

In the spring, Russian forces carried out several large-scale attacks, but these were mostly directed against energy infrastructure.

The attacks took place on the eve of the NATO summit in Washington, where Ukraine is hoping for long-term aid commitments.

“And the whole world must use all its determination to finally end the Russian attacks,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at X.

“Killing is what (Vladimir) Putin brings. Only together can we create real peace and security.”

The Ukrainian armed forces shot down 30 of the 38 Russian missiles fired in a large-scale attack on several cities on the morning of July 8, the Air Force said.

In total, the Russian armed forces fired one Kinzhal ballistic missile, four Iskander-M ballistic missiles, one 3M22 Zirkon hypersonic cruise missile, 13 Kh-101 cruise missiles, 14 Kalibr cruise missiles, two Kh-22 cruise missiles and three Kh-59/69 guided missiles, the statement said.

“I want the Russians to feel it for themselves”: Shock and anger at the site of the attack on the children’s hospital

Nurse Olesia Filonenko was preparing for the first operation of the day at the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv when she heard explosions “somewhere far away.” “Then in a second everything was blown away,” she told the Kyiv Independent. “Dust, smoke. We were all blown out of the operating room…”

Two Kyiv hospitals hit during missile attack

The attack hit Okhmatdyt Hospital, Ukraine’s largest children’s medical center.

At least two people were killed, the state emergency service reported. At least 16 people were injured, including seven children. Fifteen victims were hospitalized.

The Russian military hit the Okhmatdyt hospital with a Kh-101 cruise missile, according to preliminary information from the State Security Service (SBU).

Fragments of the tail section of a Kh-101 cruise missile with a serial number and parts of the missile’s rudder were found at the crime scene, the State Security Service said.

Later in the day, Russia launched another attack on Kyiv, damaging a maternity hospital with debris.

At least seven people were killed and three injured when the Isida Maternity Hospital, a private clinic in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district, was hit by falling debris, officials said.

So far, at least 27 people have been killed in Kyiv. According to the state emergency service, more than 70 people have been injured in the capital.

Two other people were injured in Kyiv Oblast.

3 dead and 3 injured in Russian attack on Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, says governor

The attack on Pokrovsk was part of a broader series of Russian attacks across Ukraine, including on Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and other cities.

Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih kills 10, injures 47,

On July 8, Russian forces attacked the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, killing at least 10 people and injuring at least 47.

The search and rescue operation was hampered by air raid sirens and reports of rockets fired at the city.

With around 660,000 inhabitants, Kryvyi Rih is the second largest city in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Since the outbreak of the all-out war, the country has been the victim of numerous deadly attacks by Russian forces.

Also in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the city of Dnipro was attacked. At least one person was killed and 12 others injured.

Ukraine calls for emergency UN meeting, western officials condemn attack

Following the attack, Ukraine has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on July 8, Zelensky announced.

“We must hold Russia accountable for terrorism and Putin accountable for ordering attacks,” the president said during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw.

“Russia responds to everything we negotiate with them about peace with attacks on homes and hospitals.”

Elsewhere, ambassadors from Germany, Austria and the United States condemned the Russian mass attack this morning.

“This callous aggression – a complete disregard for human life and a threat to European and transatlantic security – is why Ukraine’s leaders will make significant security commitments this week,” U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said at X.

The Austrian ambassador to Ukraine, Arad Benko, commented on the hospital strike, saying that his country “has been supporting this center and many departments for many years.”

“This is a facility that cares for babies and children in need. The Russian attack is pure terror,” Benko said in a post on X.

The German ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Jäger, also reacted to the attack. “This is a war against the civilian population. This is Russia’s willingness to negotiate and its desire for peace,” he wrote.

Selenskyj rejects Orban and says “only strong alliances” can mediate between Russia and Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on July 5, just days after meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.

Indian PM Modi arrives in Moscow

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Moscow on July 8, his first trip to Russia since the start of the all-out invasion of Ukraine.

“Landed in Moscow. I look forward to further deepening the special and privileged strategic partnership between our nations, particularly in forward-looking areas of cooperation,” Modi wrote on X.

“Stronger relations between our nations will bring great benefits to our peoples,” he added.

Modi last met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2022 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan.

According to a statement from the Kremlin after the official date of the trip was set, Modi and Putin will discuss the “prospects for the further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Indian relations, as well as current issues on the international and regional agenda.”

Modi’s official website said the visit would include discussions on “the full range of the multifaceted relations between the two countries and an exchange of views on current regional and global issues of mutual interest.”

The two leaders will reportedly attend a dinner on July 8 and hold talks in the Kremlin the following day.

New Delhi is calling for a diplomatic solution to Russia’s war against Ukraine, but at the same time maintains close economic ties with Moscow. India became one of the main buyers of Russian oil after Western sanctions, although the pressure of US sanctions is increasingly threatening this trade.

Although India participated in the global peace summit in Ukraine in June, Modi was not present in person and the Indian representative ultimately did not sign the joint communiqué.

Modi was also one of the few democratically elected leaders to congratulate Putin on his re-election in March, after the vote was widely viewed as neither free nor fair.

South Korean President: Military relations between Russia and North Korea pose ‘clear threat’

Growing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea poses a “clear threat and serious challenge to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe,” South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told Reuters on July 8.

Poland, Ukraine sign security agreement

President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a security agreement in Warsaw on July 8.

Poland is the latest country to sign such an agreement with Ukraine based on a commitment by the Group of Seven (G7) in July 2023.

Other states, including the USA, the UK, GermanyAnd Franceas well as European Unionhave signed similar bilateral agreements to help Kyiv repel Russian aggression.

The agreement highlights that on 2 December 1991, Poland was the first country to recognise Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union.

Ukraine and Poland agreed to further expand their political, military and economic cooperation and to “work closely together in rebuilding Ukraine as a sovereign and democratic state”.

During the joint press conference with Tusk Zelensky thanked Poland for the “special arrangements” contained in the document.

The President added that the security agreement includes a provision to develop a “mechanism” to intercept Russian missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace aimed at Poland.

Later that day Presidential Office has published on its website the full text of the security agreement between Ukraine and Poland.

The document consists of ten chapters covering political, military, economic and other assistance, as well as bilateral cooperation in the event of a future threat to Ukraine from Russian aggression.

Poland pledged to provide several packages of military assistance by the end of 2024 and to continue supporting Ukraine over the next ten years of the agreement. According to the document, Warsaw is also considering supplying Ukraine with at least one additional MiG-29 squadron.

The security agreement also includes the formation and training of a Ukrainian legion in Poland.

“The Ukrainian Legion will train and be equipped in Poland with the help of our partners. Any Ukrainian citizen who decides to join the Legion can sign a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Zelensky said.

“Our teams are currently working out all the details of this proposal,” he added.

Zelensky arrived in Warsaw on July 8, one day before the scheduled start of the NATO summit in Washington, DC

“Perseverance and courage. These words best describe Zelensky’s stance in the fight for a safe Ukraine and a safe Europe. You can always count on us in this fight,” Tusk said. Posted on X, shortly after Zelensky arrived in Poland.

Investigation shows: EU grenade production capacity far below official figures

The EU’s promises to supply 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine have not been kept due to “wishful thinking” and the fact that existing stocks may be “at least twice as low as stated by senior EU officials,” the investigative project RFE/RL Schemes reported on July 8.