On Tuesday, an outpouring of donations aimed at reconstructing Kyiv's primary children's hospital occurred as Ukraine grieved over the deaths of at least 41 individuals resulting from a significant Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian capital and other cities the previous day.
The UN human rights monitoring mission's leader indicated that the strike on the Okhmatdyt hospital on Monday was likely due to a direct missile hit from Russia, based on their analysis. Moscow, however, claimed that the medical facility was hit by Ukrainian anti-missile fire without presenting evidence. Rescue efforts at the hospital concluded early Tuesday, with two fatalities and numerous injuries after a portion of the facility was turned into rubble.
In other parts of the capital, a woman's body was extracted from the debris of a residential building where 12 people perished, as reported by Mayor Vitali Klitschko on the Telegram messaging app. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is en route to Washington for a NATO summit, stated that all patients from Okhmatdyt had been transferred to other medical facilities. He emphasized the ongoing efforts to bolster the defense against Russian aggression and expressed confidence in forthcoming decisions.
Russia has consistently denied targeting civilians since initiating a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Zelenskiy reported that nearly 400 individuals participated in the rescue operation, with a death toll of 38 and 190 injured, although various regions' casualty counts raised the total to at least 41. Prominent Ukrainian businesses swiftly pledged donations to rebuild the children's hospital, renowned as one of Europe's largest and a center for treating various illnesses including cancer.
Ukraine is commemorating a national day of mourning, with flags flown at half-mast in the capital and other cities. Okhmatdyt's general director, Volodymyr Zhovnir, disclosed that a young doctor had been killed and the dialysis building completely destroyed, with no electricity supply. He noted that at least four hospital buildings were partially demolished. Although the exact sum of donations remains undisclosed, estimates from Ukrainian media and statements suggest around 300 million hryvnia ($7.3 million) from the corporate sector.
Oleh Horokhovskyi, the founder of Ukrainian lender Monobank, mentioned that they had collected 100 million hryvnias from various businesses in just three hours. A video obtained by Reuters depicted a missile descending toward the children's hospital, followed by a massive explosion, with the location verified by identifiable landmarks. The Security Service of Ukraine identified the missile as a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, with evidence including fragments and a part of the guidance system recovered at the site.
Numerous individuals flocked to the hospital to offer assistance on Monday. Some parked their cars along a major highway, inquiring about the needed help. A woman claiming to be a doctor requested entry to assist. Ashton Tsander, 16, who arrived with a friend from their workplace at an animal shelter, expressed her hope from the community's spirit. Kyivstar, Ukraine's leading mobile operator, pledged 10 million hryvnias, approximately $250,000, for the hospital's reconstruction.
Volodymyr Mnoholetnyi, the founder of IT company Genesis, pledged a donation on Facebook, recounting how the hospital had treated his prematurely born son, now five years old. He committed to transferring one million hryvnias from Genesis and an additional one million personally to meet the hospital's urgent needs.
