UN Confirm Russian Missile Struck Kiev Children’s Hospital

Preliminary investigations by the United Nations Human Rights Office have confirmed that the children’s hospital in Kiev, which was recently destroyed, was directly hit by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile. This information was revealed by Danielle Bell, head of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, on Tuesday.

Specialists reached this conclusion after analyzing video footage and examining the damage on-site. Bell described the incident as “one of the most egregious attacks we have seen since the onset of the invasion.”

In a fortunate turn of events, staff managed to bring young patients to safety in a bunker shortly before the attack occurred on Monday, preventing a potentially higher number of casualties. However, the attack resulted in the death of two people.

The hospital, which treated many children with cancer and other serious illnesses, suffered extensive damage and is now unusable without significant repairs. All 600 of the hospital’s young patients have been transferred to other healthcare facilities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) office in Kiev showcased the dire situation on the ground on social media platform X, highlighting the ongoing risks to healthcare facilities. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the WHO has documented nearly 1,900 attacks on hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, ambulances, and similar targets.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has repeatedly emphasized on X that, according to universally applicable international humanitarian law, such healthcare facilities must not be attacked.

The confirmation of the missile strike on the children’s hospital in Kiev underscores the severe and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. The international community continues to call for adherence to international humanitarian laws to protect healthcare facilities and ensure the safety of vulnerable populations amidst the conflict.