Kyiv, Ukraine: Russia fired dozens of missiles at cities across Ukraine on Monday in a massive barrage that killed at least 24 people and smashed into a children’s hospital in Kyiv, trapping victims under the rubble, officials said.
Dozens of volunteers, doctors and rescue workers were digging through debris of a part of Okhmatdyt paediatric hospital in a desperate search for survivors after the rare day-time bombardment.
First responders ran for cover when sirens and a blast sounded hours after the initial strikes that hit as Ukraine struggles to protect itself from Russian aerial attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces fired more than 40 missiles at least five major civilian hubs mainly in the south and east of the country, as well as Kyiv.
The attack came as Zelensky visited Warsaw before heading to the NATO summit in Washington, where he was expected to appeal for more military support from the country’s allies.
AFP reporters at the scene of the attacks heard air raid sirens and explosions ring out as the missiles crashed into the capital and debris from downed projectiles rained down over the city.