"Danielle Bell, the head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, described Monday's strike as 'one of the most shocking and severe attacks witnessed since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.'"
"Kyiv: On Tuesday, the United Nations reported a 'high likelihood' that a Russian missile directly struck the children's hospital in Kyiv, highlighting the severe and tragic impact of the ongoing conflict."
In the aftermath of a devastating missile barrage by Russia that struck multiple cities across Ukraine, more than three dozen people lost their lives, and the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv was torn apart, triggering a wave of international condemnation.
As the sun shone on a rare day-time bombardment, dozens of volunteers, including hospital staff and rescue workers, scrambled through the hospital's rubble in a frantic effort to find survivors. AFP journalists on the scene captured the harrowing search amid the debris.
Despite Russia's denial of responsibility, claiming the destruction in Kyiv was due to Ukrainian air defense systems, Bell, speaking to reporters in Geneva, presented compelling evidence. "Video footage clearly shows the weapon directly impacting the hospital," she stated.
The Okhmatdyt paediatric hospital, a crucial facility for children suffering from severe medical conditions like cancer and kidney disease, became a tragic target. Families from all over the country bring their children here for life-saving treatments, making the attack even more heart-wrenching. Bell, addressing via video-link from Kyiv, emphasized the devastating impact.
"Analysis of the video footage and on-site assessments strongly suggest that the children's hospital endured a direct hit, rather than being collateral damage from intercepted missiles. This atrocity demands a thorough investigation," urged Bell, whose team, alongside military experts, surveyed the damage and spoke with staff, parents, and local residents.
At the time of the attack, the hospital was a bustling sanctuary with 670 child patients and over a thousand medical personnel. Bell noted that the missile, likely a Kh-101 air-to-surface cruise missile armed with several hundred kilograms of explosives, was probably fired from an aircraft.
This version adds more vivid descriptions, emotional context, and a sense of urgency to the narrative.
"The evidence strongly indicating a direct hit stems from video footage revealing the technical specifications of the weapon used. The footage clearly shows the weapon making direct impact with the hospital, rather than being intercepted mid-air," explained Bell.