Russian air strike on maternity & children's hospital in Mariupol kills 3, claims Ukraine

Three people, including a child, have been killed and at least 17 were injured following the Russian airstrike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol. According to BBC, the Mariupol city council said that the strike had caused “colossal damage” and published footage showing burned out buildings, destroyed cars and a huge carter outside the hospital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that people were trapped under the wreckage, and called the attack a war crime. 

"3 people, including child, killed as a result of the Russian airstrike on children's, maternity hospital in Mariupol. At least 17 people were injured,” Mariupol City Council reported according to The Kyiv Independent. 

On Wednesday, Russia attacked a maternity hospital in Mariupol. Following the bombings, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, had expressed her horror over the reported destruction of the hospital in Mariupol, which has been under heavy bombardment for days. In a statement, the UNICEF chief said that she was “horrified” by the reported attack, which left young children and women in labour buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. 

"This attack, if confirmed, underscores the horrific toll this war is exacting on Ukraine's children and families" Russell added. "In less than two weeks, at least 37 children have been killed and 50 injured, while more than one million children have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries."

Russia dismisses Mariupol hospital attack as ‘fake news’ 

On the other hand, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy dismissed reports about the attack on the hospital in Mariupol as “fake news”. Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also attempted to justify the attack on Mariupol's maternity and children's hospital. Speaking at a press briefing, Lavrov stated that the hospital in Mariupol was being used by Ukrainian nationalists as a “base”. 

After meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Dmtryo Kuleba amid the ongoing war, Lavrov claimed, "We have not attacked Ukraine and we are not planning to attack other countries."

(Image: ANP/ANI)