WHO: "Russia Bombed 18 Medical Facilities in Ukraine Over 2 Weeks"

On the 9th (local time), a full-term pregnant woman is being evacuated on a stretcher from a maternity hospital in Mariupol, a southern Ukrainian city that was hit by a Russian airstrike.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on the 9th (local time) that nearly 20 medical facilities have been indiscriminately bombed since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.

According to the Associated Press, WHO confirmed that 18 medical facilities, including hospitals in Ukraine, were attacked over the past two weeks since the Russian invasion. The attacks on medical facilities and ambulances reportedly resulted in a total of 10 civilian deaths.

On that day alone, Russian forces bombed three hospitals. In particular, a children's hospital and an obstetrics and gynecology hospital in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol were bombed, injuring 17 people. The bombing caused children and pregnant women to be trapped under the rubble of the collapsed hospital buildings, and a woman in late pregnancy had to be urgently evacuated.

Russia also bombed two hospitals in Zhytomyr, a city west of the capital Kyiv (Kiyev). Although there were no casualties, Kyiv Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlyn stated that one of the hospitals was a children's hospital.

The international community has unanimously condemned Russia's bombing of civilian medical facilities. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres called it a "horrific attack," stating, "Civilians are paying the highest price in a war they have nothing to do with. Stop this senseless violence." The humanitarian organization M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) expressed concern, saying, "As the bombings continue in Mariupol, it is becoming increasingly difficult for pregnant women and the elderly, who are restricted in their activities, to receive medical services."

In response, Russia denied the bombing of the children's hospital, calling it "fake news," and asserted that it has not targeted civilian facilities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.