A wave of deadly strikes hit several cities throughout Ukraine on Monday morning, killing and injuring scores of civilians, including children. Kyiv experienced several attacks, which impacted many residential homes. The children's hospital in the center of the city was severely damaged as children were being treated. Today's attacks also struck one of the country's main health facilities for women in Kyiv, as well as key energy infrastructure.
The Russian strikes reportedly killed dozens of civilians, including 2 children, and caused over 150 casualties. Direct attacks against civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international humanitarian law.
In a statement, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, said it was "unconscionable that children are killed and injured in this war."
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that rescue workers, hospital staff and volunteers are currently clearing the rubble and searching for people trapped under the debris of the Okhmatdyt National Children's Specialized Hospital in the center of Kyiv.
The Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital is one of the largest pediatric hospitals in Ukraine and is also a center for the treatment of children with cancer.
According to OCHA, relief agencies are helping to transfer patients to other facilities, providing psychosocial support and assisting with other urgent needs. They are also in contact with the hospital to coordinate any additional support that may be needed.
Ukrainian authorities report that at least 22 civilians were killed, including 2 children, and 82 others injured in Kyiv alone, with a women's hospital in another part of the city having been damaged.
Deadly strikes also hit Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro, in the Dnipro region of central Ukraine, and Pokrovsk and other towns in the Donetsk region in the east of the country. According to the authorities, more than 60 other civilians have been killed or injured.
OCHA reports that humanitarian workers are on the ground at the children's hospital, providing water and psychosocial support, among other assistance. Humanitarian workers are also supporting the efforts of first responders in other regions.
In a statement through his spokesperson, UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres strongly condemned today's missile attacks that hit residential and civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.
âThe incidents in which missiles hit the Okhmatdyt National Children's Specialized Hospital in Kyiv, the largest pediatrics facility in Ukraine, and at another medical facility in the capitalâs Dniprovsky district, are particularly shocking,â StĂ©phane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said.
In a statement on Monday, UN human rights chief Volker TĂŒrk deplored Russia's deadly wave of rocket attacks on densely populated areas of Ukraine.
âShockingly, one of the strikes severely damaged the intensive care, surgical and oncology wards of Okhmatdyt, which is Ukraineâs largest childrenâs referral hospital, and destroyed its childrenâs toxicology department, where children receive dialysis,â said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. âAmong the victims were Ukraineâs sickest children."
âMy team visited the site shortly after the attack and observed children receiving treatment for cancer in hospital beds set up in parks and on streets, where medical workers had quickly established triage areas, amongst chaos, dust and debris.â
Health officials said the entire hospital was now without electricity, preventing the use of ventilators and other emergency care. It was not immediately clear how many people were killed in the attack.
Also in Kyiv, at least seven civilians were killed at the ISIDA Medical Center - one of the largest women's health and family planning centers in Ukraine - by the secondary effects of a missile that was intercepted above the facility.
âThis is abominable, and I implore those with influence to do everything in their power to ensure these attacks stop immediately,â TĂŒrk said. âCivilians must be protected, and the laws of war strictly adhered to.
âThere must be prompt, thorough and independent investigations into these latest grave attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and those responsible must be held to account.â
Humanitarian organization Plan International was among several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to condemn Monday's attacks by the Russian military across Ukraine, including on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital.
âChildren and their carers have a right to be safe while seeking treatment at hospital. The ongoing war in Ukraine is having a catastrophic impact on childrenâs physical and mental health. This morningâs attacks will add to the sense of severe and continual insecurity for children in Ukraine,â a statement said.
The NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC) also strongly condemned the attack on the children's hospital.
âNo child should grow up under the threat of missile strikes. No child should risk dying amidst the rubble of hospitals meant to be safe havens for healing and recovery,â said Marko Isajlovic, IRC Health Coordinator in Ukraine.
âOur medical teams witness the daily toll of fighting on people who are unable to seek much needed care in hospitals reduced to rubble, reach the nearest pharmacy due to ongoing fighting, or simply afford much-needed medicines, " he added, noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded nearly 1,700 attacks on health facilities in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has created one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. Violations of international humanitarian and human rights law are widespread in the ongoing armed assault. Millions of civilians fear for their lives. People in Ukraine continue to be killed, wounded and deeply traumatized by the violence.
The human rights and humanitarian situation in Ukraine has rapidly deteriorated since Russia's invasion escalated the eight-year conflict in the east into a full-scale war. The devastation and destruction has been staggering.
The killing and wounding of thousands of civilians, including children, the targeting of civilian infrastructure, the disruption of livelihoods and vital services, and prolonged displacement have created a massive humanitarian and protection crisis.
While the war in Ukraine has led to tens of thousands of deaths and injuries in Ukraine, it has also displaced millions of people, many of whom continue to seek refuge in neighboring countries and around the world. Nearly 6.5 million Ukrainians have sought refuge abroad, while some 3.7 million people remain forcibly displaced within the country.
In 2024, Ukraine is facing intensified attacks, resulting in increased civilian casualties and devastation in frontline areas and throughout the country. Heightened attacks on civilian infrastructure are disrupting vital services such as electricity for millions of people and hampering access to health and education.
According to a recent report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the increase in attacks by Russian forces between March and May caused extensive civilian casualties, with at least 436 civilians killed and 1,760 injured, as well as significant damage to civilian property and infrastructure.
As the war rages, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine remains dire, with 14.6 million people - some 40 percent of the population - in need of humanitarian and protection assistance. In the first five months of this year, more than 5 million people received humanitarian assistance.
Further information
Full text: Ukraine: TĂŒrk deplores wave of strikes killing dozens of civilians, including women and children at hospitals, United Nations in Ukraine Office of the UN Resident Coordinator, press release, published July 8, 2024
https://ukraine.un.org/en/273513-ukraine-t%C3%BCrk-deplores-wave-strikes-killing-dozens-civilians-including-women-and-children