International

Ukraine mourns after day of Russian air strikes

A day of mourning is being observed in Ukraine after one of the worst waves of Russian missile strikes in months, with at least 41 people killed and 166 injured, BBC reports.

Reuters / Oamenii privesc în timp ce salvatorii lucrează la spitalul de copii Ohmatdyt, care a fost avariat în timpul unui atac cu rachete rusești. Kiev, Ucraina 8 iulie 2024
Sursa: Reuters / Oamenii privesc în timp ce salvatorii lucrează la spitalul de copii Ohmatdyt, care a fost avariat în timpul unui atac cu rachete rusești. Kiev, Ucraina 8 iulie 2024

The main children's hospital in the capital Kyiv was among buildings hit in cities across the country on Monday.

Two people died when a missile flattened part of the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital - Ukraine's biggest paediatrics facility - and a search for survivors beneath the rubble continued into the early hours of Tuesday.

Russia denied targeting the hospital, saying it had been hit by fragments of a Ukrainian air defence missile, while Ukraine said it had found remnants of a Russian cruise missile.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack "brutal" and described his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a "bloody criminal".

Nato is preoparing to hold a summit later on Tuesday in Washington, where the military bloc's response to the invasion of Ukraine will be high on the agenda.

World leaders allied to Ukraine have condemned the attack, including the new British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

He said "attacking innocent children" was "the most depraved of actions" and promised continued support for Kyiv after the change of government in the UK.

Calling the strikes a "horrific reminder of Russia's brutality", US President Joe Biden said additional support for Ukraine's air defence systems would soon be announced.

Mr Zelensky said that Russia had launched more than 40 missiles on Monday, damaging almost 100 buildings in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Bogdan Nigai

Bogdan Nigai

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