Innocent Lives Lost: 20 Dead in Russian Strikes on Children's Hospital Following Ukrainian Drone Attack

Russia launched a massive missile strike on Ukraine, killing at least 20 people and striking a children's hospital in Kyiv.

This brutal assault, which included advanced Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, marked the heaviest bombardment of the Ukrainian capital in nearly four months, Knewz.com reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that more than 40 missiles targeted five cities — Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, and Kryvyi Rih. The central city of Kryvyi Rih suffered the most, with at least 10 residents killed and 31 injured.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city administration, described the attack as "massive," highlighting the extensive damage inflicted by the Russian military.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko updated the nationwide casualties on Telegram, reporting that 28 people have been found dead and 112 injured so far.

He emphasized the ongoing emergency rescue operations and thanked rescuers, police, communal services, and volunteers for their efforts. "Unity makes us stronger," Klymenko wrote.

The Dnipropetrovsk region also experienced significant devastation, with 11 people dead and 62 injured.

One of the most tragic scenes unfolded at the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv, where a partially collapsed two-story wing left rescuers searching for survivors under the rubble. The main building's windows and doors were blown out, and its walls were blackened by the strike, with blood spattered on the floor in one of the rooms.

Medical personnel and local residents worked together to remove the rubble and search for children and staff trapped underneath. Smoke billowed from the building as volunteers, emergency crews, and locals formed a human chain, passing stones and debris in a desperate effort to reach potential survivors, as reported by The Associated Press.

President Zelensky shared the grim news on Telegram, stating that the exact number of casualties was still unknown. He urged the world not to remain silent about the attack and to recognize the severity of Russia's actions.

The missile barrage, which included Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, is known for its speed and difficulty to intercept, flying at ten times the speed of sound.

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The capital city was left reeling from the blasts, with entire sections of residential buildings destroyed. Fires broke out in multiple areas due to falling debris from intercepted missiles, according to the Kyiv city administration. The attack occurred on the morning of July 8, when many Kyiv residents were out in the streets, exacerbating the tragedy. Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, confirmed the attack's timing increased its devastating human toll.

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko stated that official assessments of the attack’s full impact were still underway. The timing of the attack is particularly notable, occurring on the eve of a three-day NATO summit in Washington, which is set to discuss strategies for supporting Ukraine amid Europe’s largest conflict since World War II.

This missile strike followed a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s southwestern Voronezh region, which set fire to an ammunition warehouse and prompted a state of emergency. Aleksandr Gusev, the regional Governor of Voronezh, reported that around 50 people from the Podgorensky district, where the drone attack occurred, had been relocated to temporary accommodation centers and were receiving necessary assistance.

"Several UAVs were detected and destroyed by on-duty air defense forces over the territory of the Voronezh region last night. A fire broke out at a warehouse due to the fall of their wreckage. Detonation of explosive items began in the Podgorensky district," Gusev stated via CNN. "Operational services, military, and officials are working on the site to eliminate the emergency."