The United Nations Security Council scheduled a meeting on July 9 to address the Russian attack on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, Okhmatdyt and another medical facility in Kyiv. The attack was reportedly carried out on Monday.
Diplomats have confirmed that the United Nations Security Council will convene on Tuesday following a request from Britain, France, Ecuador, Slovenia, and the United States. This meeting, in response to a Russian assault on Kyiv’s primary children’s hospital, will be at 10 am on Tuesday.
On Monday, Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, shared on the public platform X a post calling out Russia’s cowardly and depraved attack on the hospital. The post mentioned some pictures drawn by the children of the Okhmatdyt Hospital as well.
In response to the public criticism, Russian deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitriy Polyansky, has informed that the country will present facts about the attack and that Russia do not confirm the Ukrainian version of the incident.
Russian Attack Attracts International Criticism
Responses similar to the British Ambassador’s reaction were seen across various social media platforms. Ukraine’s permanent representative in the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, posted on X, calling out Russia and its atrocities against Ukraine and its civilian infrastructure. He further condemned the Security Council for not taking adequate measures to hold Russia accountable for the crimes it commits.
He went on to question Russia’s presidency in the UN Security Council and even the membership of the country in the council even after the fact that Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He further urged the members of the council to force Russia to comply with the United Nations Charter and International Law.
Biden called the missile strikes a horrific act by the Russian side. He added that the world need to stand with Ukraine during these times.
Dennis Francis, President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, condemned the devastating attack on the Children’s Hospital.
French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs had posted on X, “condemning the Russian Missile strikes on a number of civilian infrastructures in Ukraine, especially the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital.”
United States Mission to the UN had also expressed on the social media platform urging Putin to “end the unconscionable war of aggression.”
Missile Strikes destroys Civilian Infrastructure
On Monday, 8 July, an attack was carried out by Moscow against Ukraine using at least 40 missiles. The attack resulted in serious casualties and brutal destruction of civilian infrastructure in regions such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Slovyansk, and Kramatorsk, among others.
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Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the country, stood severely damaged. The shelling caused the death of at least 37 people and injured at least 170 others. The aerial assault caused the patients of the hospital to flee the area. Authorities expressed concerns about more people being trapped beneath the rubble. More than 600 patients were reportedly evacuated from the hospital and its premises. Several people were transferred to healthcare facilities in the vicinity to continue hospitalization as required.
Footages from the children’s hospital showed that volunteers were collaborating with law enforcement and security personnel to search through. Staff recounted their efforts to evacuate children to safety following the assault. Viktor Liashko, Ukraine’s health minister, reported significant damage to intensive care units, oncology departments, and surgical units.
The Okhmatdyt Children’s hospital is Ukraine’s biggest for children’s medical care and plays a crucial role in treating some of the country’s most seriously ill children. According to Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, the hospital performs about 7,000 surgeries annually, including treatments for cancer and blood diseases.
