Russian missile strikes across Ukraine have killed at least 20 people, officials report. In a rare daytime assault on Kyiv, seven people were killed, and a children’s hospital was struck and evacuated. In Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, ten deaths were reported, while three more were killed in Pokrovsk, east Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, set to visit Poland, stated that Russia launched about 40 missiles at various cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk. The attacks damaged residential buildings, infrastructure, and the Okhmadyt children’s hospital.
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Videos on social media showed extensive damage in Kyiv and inside the hospital. Zelensky noted that people were trapped under the rubble and that rescue efforts were ongoing. Health Minister Viktor Lyashko confirmed that cancer and intensive care wards were hit, with photos showing evacuated children with IV drips.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, described the assault as “one of the worst attacks” on the capital since the war began, confirming fatalities and ongoing efforts to determine the exact number of casualties.
Elsewhere, Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, reported on Telegram that at least 10 people were killed and 31 wounded in the attack on the city, with 10 sustaining serious injuries. Kryvyi Rih, President Zelensky’s hometown, has faced repeated assaults since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
In Dnipro, regional head Sergiy Lysak confirmed that a high-rise building and a business were hit, resulting in several injuries. Meanwhile, in Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donetsk region, three people were killed as Russian forces have recently captured several villages.
The Russian bombardment coincides with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow, where he is scheduled to meet President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Moscow has not yet commented on the attacks but has previously denied targeting civilian infrastructure.
The UN’s human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine reported a rise in civilian casualties in recent months due to Russia’s renewed air campaign, noting that May was the deadliest month for civilian deaths in nearly a year. President Zelensky continues to urge Western allies for additional air defense systems.
