Ukrainian children’s hospital hit, 31 people killed in daytime Russian

A barrage of Russian missiles across Ukraine killed at least 31 people, injured 125 others and seriously damaged a key children’s hospital in a rare large-scale daytime attack, Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said.

Russian forces launched more than 40 aerial missiles at the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s native Kryvi Rih, according to the Kyiv city military administration.

At least 20 people died in Kyiv and 61 were injured, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said, in a Google-translated statement. The Ukrainian capital’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital undertook “considerable destruction,” with patients being transferred to other medical facilities in Kyiv. It was not immediately clear whether the site was directly hit or struck by missile debris.

A doctor and another adult died in the medical facility, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Telegram, prior to the ministry update. He added at the time that 16 people were injured in the hospital, seven of whom were children.

“This is horror and genocide!” Klitschko said.

Several other regions declared fatalities, with people killed in Kryvy Rih — where Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the local military administration, declared a day of mourning — as well as in Dnipro and Pokrovsk, according to regional heads.

The casualty figures could not be verified by CNBC and are subject to change as rescue operations continue. Vast plumes of smoke, rains of debris and razed sites can be seen in pictures shared by Ukrainian officials, which CNBC was unable to authenticate.

“Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv. One of the most important CHILDREN’S hospitals not only in Ukraine, but also in Europe. Okhmatdyt has been saving and restoring the health of thousands of children,” Zelenskyy said of the offensive on X. “Russia cannot claim ignorance of where its missiles are flying and must be held fully accountable for all its crimes. Against people, against children, against humanity in general.”

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said accusations of deliberate missile strikes against civilian sites were “absolutely untrue.” The ministry said its forces had answered Kyiv’s hostilities with a mass attack on Ukrainian military facilities and air bases with long-range precision weapons.

“The strike’s objectives were achieved. The designated facilities were hit,”  the defense ministry said in a Google-translated statement.

CNBC has reached out to Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.