Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in 4 months kills at least 31 and hits a children’s hospital
Associated PressKYIV, Ukraine — Russian missiles blasted cities across Ukraine on Monday, damaging the country’s largest children’s hospital and other buildings in a fierce assault that interrupted heart surgeries and forced young cancer patients to take their treatments outdoors. In a statement, U.S. President Joe Biden called Monday’s missile strikes “a horrific reminder of Russia’s brutality.” “It is critical that the world continues to stand with Ukraine at this important moment and that we not ignore Russian aggression,” the statement said. “Among the victims were Ukraine’s sickest children,” said Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights commissioner. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday’s missile strikes “particularly shocking,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The International Criminal Court’s founding charter says it is a war crime to intentionally attack “hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not military objectives.” Late last month, the court issued arrest warrants for Russia’s former defense minister and its military chief of staff for attacking Ukraine’s electricity network.