Russian strikes in Ukraine have killed at least 36 civilians and injured 140 others, including a strike on a children’s hospital.
The missile strikes hit five cities in Ukraine, damaging residential buildings, infrastructure, and the country’s biggest children’s hospital.
Russia has denied targeting civilian infrastructure and claimed damage to the hospital was caused by Ukraine.
Here’s the latest.
Background
On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” into Ukraine, claiming the country is “historically Russian land”. Russian troops crossed the border and missiles were fired at cities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country would defend itself. It retook large chunks of its territory in 2022, but its counteroffensive has since stalled.
In February, the UN confirmed around 10,000 civilian deaths in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, although experts say the toll is likely higher. The UN has not provided a recent update on Russian civilian deaths.
Ukraine’s updates
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 40 long-range missiles were fired by Russian forces on Monday. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 30 of these.
The missiles hit the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk, killing at least 36 people.
In Kyiv, two people died when the country’s biggest children’s hospital was hit. According to local doctors, patients have now been evacuated from the building.
Response
In a press conference after the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “We will retaliate against these people, we will deliver a powerful response from our side to Russia, for sure. The question to our partners is: can they respond?”
He added: “Mere concern does not stop the terror. Compassion is not a weapon. It is necessary to shoot down Russian missiles… It is necessary to take strong steps that will not leave any security deficit.”
Kyiv’s mayor also declared 9 July as a day of mourning.
Russia
Russia has denied targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
It claimed the damage to the children’s hospital was the result of a Ukrainian air defence missile.
At the time of writing, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not issued a public statement on the attacks.
World
The United Nations has condemned the attack, with a spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres calling the reports of a hospital attack “particularly shocking”.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the strikes.
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell Fontelles said in a post on X: “Russia keeps ruthlessly targeting Ukrainian civilians… all responsible for Russian war crimes will be held to account.”
