03:21Medical and administration staff at the Okhmatdet Children's Hospital in Kiev described the moment part of the building was destroyed on Monday, after Kiev reported deadly missile strikes across the country - and blamed Russia for hitting the facility. Moscow said that the city's own air defences were responsible.
Alina Puzko, paediatric urologist at Okhmadit Hospital, recounted the moment 'everything exploded', in footage recorded on Tuesday.
"As soon as we left the resident's room, everything exploded behind us, and the blast wave pushed us a little against the wall, a little later I ran into the ward to the children to get them quickly to take shelter," she said.
Daniele Bordoli, a communications officer specialising in emergency and global health, said that hospitals should be off-limits during conflict.
"The hospitals are the safest place you can be because they are not a target, it's a basic information, all you need to know about the humanitarian laws is that the hospitals are not targets," he said.
Elizaveta Karpenko, hospital press secretary, added that a 'thirty-year-old doctor' had been killed.
"[She] was evacuating children to a bomb shelter and was covered by the force of the impact... she just went down to the shelter...and got killed," she said.
According to Mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko, two people were killed and 16 were injured at the hospital. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported at least 31 killed and 150 injured in attacks across the country.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president's office, claimed that Russia had "purposefully attacked the children today", while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added that there were people "under the rubble".
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry strongly denied the allegations made, stating that it had conducted a "group strike by long-range precision weaponry" on military-industrial infrastructure and air bases, in response to Ukraine's own attacks on Russian infrastructure.
"Statements of the Kiev regime about the allegedly deliberate missile strike launched against civilian facilities by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are false," it continued.
"Numerous published photos and footage from Kiev clearly confirm that the destruction was caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile launched by an anti-aircraft missile system in the city."
The Ministry added that 'similar hysterics by the Kiev regime' had been happening for years, notably "every time on the eve of another meeting" of the NATO alliance. The 75th anniversary Summit of NATO begins in Washington DC on Tuesday.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the DPR and LPR, claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'Everything exploded behind us' - Kiev children's hospital staff as Ukraine, Russia blame each other for destruction
Medical and administration staff at the Okhmatdet Children's Hospital in Kiev described the moment part of the building was destroyed on Monday, after Kiev reported deadly missile strikes across the country - and blamed Russia for hitting the facility. Moscow said that the city's own air defences were responsible.
Alina Puzko, paediatric urologist at Okhmadit Hospital, recounted the moment 'everything exploded', in footage recorded on Tuesday.
"As soon as we left the resident's room, everything exploded behind us, and the blast wave pushed us a little against the wall, a little later I ran into the ward to the children to get them quickly to take shelter," she said.
Daniele Bordoli, a communications officer specialising in emergency and global health, said that hospitals should be off-limits during conflict.
"The hospitals are the safest place you can be because they are not a target, it's a basic information, all you need to know about the humanitarian laws is that the hospitals are not targets," he said.
Elizaveta Karpenko, hospital press secretary, added that a 'thirty-year-old doctor' had been killed.
"[She] was evacuating children to a bomb shelter and was covered by the force of the impact... she just went down to the shelter...and got killed," she said.
According to Mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko, two people were killed and 16 were injured at the hospital. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported at least 31 killed and 150 injured in attacks across the country.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president's office, claimed that Russia had "purposefully attacked the children today", while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added that there were people "under the rubble".
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry strongly denied the allegations made, stating that it had conducted a "group strike by long-range precision weaponry" on military-industrial infrastructure and air bases, in response to Ukraine's own attacks on Russian infrastructure.
"Statements of the Kiev regime about the allegedly deliberate missile strike launched against civilian facilities by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are false," it continued.
"Numerous published photos and footage from Kiev clearly confirm that the destruction was caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile launched by an anti-aircraft missile system in the city."
The Ministry added that 'similar hysterics by the Kiev regime' had been happening for years, notably "every time on the eve of another meeting" of the NATO alliance. The 75th anniversary Summit of NATO begins in Washington DC on Tuesday.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the DPR and LPR, claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Medical and administration staff at the Okhmatdet Children's Hospital in Kiev described the moment part of the building was destroyed on Monday, after Kiev reported deadly missile strikes across the country - and blamed Russia for hitting the facility. Moscow said that the city's own air defences were responsible.
Alina Puzko, paediatric urologist at Okhmadit Hospital, recounted the moment 'everything exploded', in footage recorded on Tuesday.
"As soon as we left the resident's room, everything exploded behind us, and the blast wave pushed us a little against the wall, a little later I ran into the ward to the children to get them quickly to take shelter," she said.
Daniele Bordoli, a communications officer specialising in emergency and global health, said that hospitals should be off-limits during conflict.
"The hospitals are the safest place you can be because they are not a target, it's a basic information, all you need to know about the humanitarian laws is that the hospitals are not targets," he said.
Elizaveta Karpenko, hospital press secretary, added that a 'thirty-year-old doctor' had been killed.
"[She] was evacuating children to a bomb shelter and was covered by the force of the impact... she just went down to the shelter...and got killed," she said.
According to Mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko, two people were killed and 16 were injured at the hospital. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported at least 31 killed and 150 injured in attacks across the country.
Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian president's office, claimed that Russia had "purposefully attacked the children today", while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added that there were people "under the rubble".
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry strongly denied the allegations made, stating that it had conducted a "group strike by long-range precision weaponry" on military-industrial infrastructure and air bases, in response to Ukraine's own attacks on Russian infrastructure.
"Statements of the Kiev regime about the allegedly deliberate missile strike launched against civilian facilities by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are false," it continued.
"Numerous published photos and footage from Kiev clearly confirm that the destruction was caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile launched by an anti-aircraft missile system in the city."
The Ministry added that 'similar hysterics by the Kiev regime' had been happening for years, notably "every time on the eve of another meeting" of the NATO alliance. The 75th anniversary Summit of NATO begins in Washington DC on Tuesday.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the DPR and LPR, claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.