A Russian attack on a children’s hospital in southern Ukraine has left at least nine people injured, officials reported, coming shortly after Kyiv launched drone strikes on Russian energy facilities.
Four children were among those wounded in the assault on the Kherson hospital on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a “deliberate” attack, saying it demonstrates Moscow’s unwillingness to pursue peace.
“They could not have been unaware of what they were hitting. This was a targeted Russian strike against children, medical staff, and the very basics of community life,” Zelenskyy said.
Around 100 people were inside the hospital during the attack, according to Ukraine’s prime minister. The youngest victim was an eight year old boy. Moscow has yet to comment on the strike.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russian authorities reported that Ukraine had sent drones toward Moscow for the third night in a row, aiming at Russian energy infrastructure and disrupting air traffic.
The Russian defense ministry stated on Telegram that its air defense systems intercepted 100 Ukrainian drones overnight, six over the Moscow region and the rest across 11 regions and Crimea.
Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck the Mariysky refinery in the Mari El region, another site in Novospasskoye, Ulyanovsk, and a gas plant in Budyonnovsk, Stavropol.
Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya reported that three of Moscow’s four airports and several others around the country were temporarily closed for safety reasons.
Kyiv has continued long-range drone attacks on Moscow and other Russian regions in recent months, targeting energy, military, and industrial assets.
Ukraine’s Energy Ministry also reported strikes on energy infrastructure in Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions. DTEK said nearly 27,000 households in southern Odesa lost power due to overnight Russian strikes.
Separately, Kyiv announced that its security services detained a former military instructor from an unnamed European country, accusing the individual of spying on the Ukrainian army for Russia.
