The missile attacks that hit Ukraine on Monday morning were likely caused by a direct hit from Russia, the head of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, Danielle Bell, said on Tuesday. Although video footage was analyzed and an assessment was made at the site of the incident, further investigations are necessary.
Bell stated that the attack on Okhmatdyt children’s hospital was one of the most shocking attacks seen since the onset of the invasion. She empathizes that 670 child patients and more than a thousand medical staff were present in the hospital during the attack. On Monday, the Kremlin stated that Russia did not hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv, but that it was a Ukrainian anti-missile fire that caused the damage.
Bell further said that video footage shows the technical specification of the type of weapon used. The video footage has shown that the weapon directly impacted the hospital instead of showing that the weapon was intercepted in the air. Furthermore the military expert that visited the site observed damages that were compatible with a direct hit. Bell stated that further investigation is necessary, which can take many years.
The missiles recently launched strikes on densely populated areas of Ukraine, hit the country’s largest children’s hospital and important energy infrastructure facilities. The attacks killed dozens of people and injured hundreds. UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence called on people with influence to do everything they can to ensure the attacks stop immediately. Furthermore he empathized that civilians need to be protected and the rules of war need to be followed. Laurence called for a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the latest attacks and for those responsible to be held to account.
Earlier on July 3 the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report on the human rights situation in Ukraine, which concluded that the intensified military operations by Russia led to a rise in civilian casualties and substantial damage to civilian property and infrastructure. In the report the use of powerful air-dropped bombs and missiles in populated areas were named as reasons for the extensive civilian harm.
