UN Rights Chief Condemns Russian Missile Strikes on Ukrainian Cities and Hospitals

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called for an immediate halt to the attacks and emphasized the need for independent investigations to hold those responsible accountable.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today condemned the Russian Federation’s recent missile strikes on densely populated areas in Ukraine, which have resulted in significant civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure. The cities of Kyiv, Kryvi Rih, Pokrovsk, and Dnipro were particularly affected.

The attacks have struck two of Ukraine’s main hospitals for children and women in Kyiv, along with key energy infrastructure. Ukrainian authorities reported that at least 34 people were killed and 127 injured.

“Shockingly, one of the strikes severely damaged the intensive care, surgical, and oncology wards of Okhmatdyt, Ukraine’s largest children’s referral hospital, and destroyed its children’s toxicology department, where children receive dialysis,” said the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “Among the victims were Ukraine’s sickest children."

High Commissioner Türk’s team visited the site shortly after the attack. They observed children receiving cancer treatment in hospital beds set up in parks and streets, as medical workers quickly established triage areas amidst chaos, dust, and debris. Health officials reported that the entire hospital was without electricity, disabling the use of ventilators and other urgent care equipment. The number of fatalities from the strike is still unclear.

UN Human Rights staff also witnessed a massive outpouring of solidarity from local residents, who rushed to the scene with blankets, water, and food to assist patients and staff. However, they had to leave the site after renewed explosions in the city.

In another tragic incident in Kyiv, at least seven civilians were killed at the ISIDA medical centre, one of Ukraine’s largest women's health and family planning centres, due to the secondary effects of an intercepted missile.

“This is abominable, and I implore those with influence to do everything in their power to ensure these attacks stop immediately,” said Türk. “Civilians must be protected, and the laws of war strictly adhered to.

“There must be prompt, thorough, and independent investigations into these latest grave attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and those responsible must be held to account.”

The recent missile strikes by Russia on Ukrainian cities have caused severe damage to hospitals and civilian areas, resulting in significant casualties. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has called for an immediate halt to the attacks and emphasized the need for independent investigations to hold those responsible accountable.