A UN rights mission said on Tuesday there was a “high likelihood” that Kyiv’s main children’s hospital took a direct hit from a Russian missile during a series of airstrikes on Ukrainian cities, as the Kremlin continued to deny involvement.
Ukraine flew its flags at half mast in a national day of mourning to mark the deaths of 41 people, killed across the country in Monday’s air attacks, including four children and two people at the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in the capital.
“Analysis of the video footage and an assessment made at the incident site indicates a high likelihood that the children’s hospital suffered a direct hit rather than receiving damage due to an intercepted weapon system,” said the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s security service said it had unequivocal evidence the medical facility was hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile during the deadliest series of strikes in months, and published images of what it said were fragments of the weapon’s engine.
The Kremlin said, without providing evidence, it was Ukrainian anti-missile fire, not Russia, that struck the children’s hospital, which is one of Europe’s largest and treats patients with serious conditions such as cancer and kidney disease.
Damage at the site triggered millions of dollars in donations from inside Ukraine and abroad more than 28 months since Russia’s full-scale February 2022 invasion.
Nato on Tuesday begins a three-day summit of the alliance’s leaders in Washington, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky set to attend as he seeks to win commitments from allies to beef up Ukraine’s air defences and boost their military support.
Russian forces are slowly advancing and claimed on Tuesday the capture of the village of Yasnobrodivka in the eastern Donetsk region. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which has reported heavy fighting in the region for months.
Zelensky vowed retaliation against Russia after Monday’s attacks and Russia’s defence ministry said it had subsequently shot down 38 drones.
