Ukrainian president asks for help after deadly hospital strike

By Stefan J. Bos

He was greeted as a hero, but soon made it clear that the real heroes were on the front lines fighting against Russia’s ongoing invasion. Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Ukrainian President Zelensky said action must be taken to repel the Russian offensive before the US presidential election in November. “It is time to step out of the shadows and make strong decisions, and not wait until November or another month arrives. We must all be strong and uncompromising together,” Zelensky stressed.

In Kyiv, injured children and babies were brought to safety. Others are still searching for survivors under the rubble of what was once Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital.

According to official figures, it was hit in Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in nearly four months, and one of the deadliest of the entire war. Seven of the capital’s 10 districts were hit.

The attack on the Ochmatdyt Children’s Hospital, which interrupted open-heart surgery and forced young cancer patients to undergo treatments outdoors, sparked international criticism.

The ten-story children’s hospital was caring for 627 patients at the time of the attack, some of whom did not survive. “The biggest loss is people,” said Volodymyr Zhovnir, general director of Okhmatdyt Hospital. “Unfortunately, we lost a highly professional doctor who was very dedicated to children and prevented major losses. We also lost a young, qualified specialist. Of course, we also lost the building. It is completely destroyed,” he added.

Russia denies wrongdoing

But through an interpreter, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia was heard to deny that his country was responsible for the attack. “We have stated many times that Russia does not attack civilian targets in Ukraine. And when we talk about the attacks by the Russian Air Force that were carried out against military targets in Ukraine and the Ukrainian air bases,” he said.

However, according to UN investigators, video footage and findings on site indicated that the hospital “received a direct hit and was not damaged by an intercepted weapons system, as Russia claimed.”

They assume that the hospital was probably hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.

Investigators from the International Criminal Court in The Hague visited the hospital on Tuesday to collect evidence for possible war crimes allegations, as hospitals are among the places protected under international law.

Pope Francis expressed his “deep shock” at the attack on the hospital.