Russia launched a missile attack on the main children’s hospital in Kyiv in broad daylight on Monday, July 8, 2024, part of a series of strikes across Ukraine that killed at least 41 civilians. This marks the deadliest wave of airstrikes in months.
Parents holding babies walked dazed and sobbing outside the hospital after the rare daytime attack. The blast shattered windows and ripped off panels, with hundreds of Kyiv residents helping to clear debris. “It was scary. I couldn’t breathe, I was trying to cover my baby,” Svitlana Kravchenko, 33, told Reuters.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was in Poland en route to Washington for a NATO summit, said the death toll included 37 people, including three children, with more than 170 injured. Casualty counts from different attack sites reached at least 41. Writing on Telegram, Zelenskiy reported over 100 damaged buildings, including the children’s hospital, a maternity center, nurseries, a business center, and homes. “The Russian terrorists must answer for this,” he wrote. “Being concerned does not stop terror. Condolences are not a weapon.”
The Interior Ministry reported damage in the central cities of Kryvyi Rih and Dnipro and two eastern cities. The government declared Tuesday a day of mourning, emphasizing the urgent need for upgraded air defenses from Western allies. The air force claimed to have shot down 30 of 38 missiles.
An online video obtained by Reuters showed a missile striking the children’s hospital, confirmed by visible landmarks. The Security Service of Ukraine identified the missile as a Kh-101 cruise missile. Kyiv’s military authorities said 27 people, including three children, died in the capital, with 82 wounded.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the attack as one of the largest of the war, causing damage across seven city districts. The Health Minister reported five damaged units in the children’s hospital, with children evacuated to other facilities. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, 11 were confirmed dead and 68 wounded. In the eastern town of Pokrovsk, missiles hit an industrial facility, killing three.
