On the morning of July 8, Russia carried out another massive attack on Ukraine, resulting in dozens of casualties in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Pokrovsk. The exact number of victims is still being clarified as rescue operations continue. However, there is something new in this attack that sets it apart from previous ones – extreme cruelty, as the main children’s hospital of the country “Okhmatdyt” became the target along with the young patients being treated there.
Hospital before the attack
Children, but strangers
It is where the youngest patients who require special care are treated, as well as where the best specialists and the most modern equipment are concentrated. Every year, “Okhmatdyt” manages to save thousands of children’s lives. However, in one strike, Russia targeted this possibility. During the attack, surgeons were in the middle of performing an operation on a small patient.
The attack hit the building where the dialysis department is located. Here, children received blood purification for kidney failure. The intensive care, surgical, and oncological departments were also damaged. Many patients in this area were connected to ventilator systems and oxygen supply. This created an urgent need to move them to where they could receive these critical and life-saving necessities.
In the photo: children with cancer and children with other serious illnesses await help near the intact building after the attack
Russia has preliminarily commented on the attack (although it was not done by top state officials or military leadership). They claim that the missile hit a technical building, and the real target was the building where, under the guise of treating wounded soldiers, children are supposedly being treated. In the comments on the photos and videos from the scene, Russians regret that the projectile did not hit the main building where even more children are receiving treatment.
The cynicism of this attack lies in the fact that today in Russia they celebrate Family Day, during which many officials make statements about family and children being the most important value in life.
Victims Information
Four cities in Ukraine were targeted. At the moment, the following number of victims is known:
- Kyiv – 15 deaths, 37 wounded;
- Dnipro – 1 death, 12 wounded;
- Pokrovsk – 3 deaths, number of injured being determined;
- Kryvyi Rih – 10 deaths, 47 people injured, 9 of them in critical condition.
The number of injured is expected to increase for at least the next day as rescue and recovery operations continue.
In Political Terms
The shelling of Ukraine is very indicative and is a reaction to several factors simultaneously:
- Expectations for the start of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have intensified from all sides. The stronger the terror exerted by the Russian army, the more powerful its position will be in this process. For the same reason, the situation is deteriorating on the front lines for the Ukrainian side, as the question of the territories occupied at that time will arise once negotiations begin. Therefore, the primary task is to capture as much territory with any sacrifices necessary.
- On July 9, the NATO summit begins in Washington, ahead of which many politicians from the Western bloc expressed support for Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance. Russia will try to demonstrate that a vulnerable country is a direct path to further confrontation.
Due to these two reasons, worsening situations and active shelling are expected in the coming days.
