Russia faces international condemnation for strike on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital

Russia faces international condemnation for strike on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital

we know all that there are very difficult children there very sick children there and and this is like I don’t know I have two boys I have two children and for me even it’s hard to speak about this I can’t imagine what feel all the parents which came through this Hospital during the years and it’s very very painful at least 31 people have been killed and more than 50 others injured following a barrage of Russian missile attacks across Ukraine amongst the targets was a children’s Hospital in ke which has been seriously damaged Rescuers are still working at the scene searching for survivors under a partially collapsed wing of the facility the attack is the biggest bombardment of the Ukrainian on the Ukrainian capital for several months for more on this we can speak now to the financial times Ukraine correspondent Christopher Miller who’s live in keev and we’re also joined by the Ukrainian MP Alexi gurenko uh thank you both very much indeed for joining us yeah thank you for inviting us on uh Chris if I could start with you what is the latest on these attacks on ke yeah what we know is that this was not only an attack on Kev but but a nationwide aerial assault by by Russia using at least uh 38 missiles 30 of which Ukraine’s air defense managed to shoot down but eight um that managed to get through and strike their targets um in Kiev the death pole continues to rise it’s at least at least 22 people now there’s still Rubble that is being cleared by Rescuers and First Responders at the scene of the attack on the Children’s Cancer Hospital in central Kiev it’s absolutely the worst attack on on on Kiev in months as you as you mentioned and you know it’s it’s part of an escalating um new aerial campaign that Russia began in March targeting uh Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and uh cities and residential sites and this is just a a a you know the latest um uh in in in a series of attacks that Ukraine fears is going to escalate over the summer as as as Russia tries to push ahead in its um uh offensive on the ground and uh weaken Ukraine Ukraine Nationwide um while it pleads with Western partners for more air defenses to protect the cities and L gorenko what what’s your response to these attacks it’s absolutely wonderful I can’t imagine what is worse than to attack a one of the biggest in Europe Children’s Hospital it’s not just a cancer hospital but different diseases up to 20,000 children were received the treatment in this hospital and that’s absolutely I don’t know what it can be worse and also it’s a sign From Russia with all these to about peace and everything Putin doesn’t want any peace that is his answer and that’s what Russia continues to do it’s a genocide it’s a terrorist attacks I don’t know how else we can and definitely that’s again our address to the world I mean how how long the Civil Mr Mr gko we’ve got a problem with your sound line we will try and make it better in the meantime um Christopher Miller defense analysts are saying that the type of missiles the Russians are using are highly Advanced and that quite simply Ukraine does not have the means to defend itself yes both of those things are correct um you know this this was a a a complex uh aerial attack uh that that covered uh you know all of Ukraine um and targeted several of its major cities you know 38 missiles that are a part of Russia’s Advanced Arsenal that are able to change trajectories mid-flight that fly at um extreme High velocities and today according to Ukraine’s um Air Force we’re flying at really low altitudes making them even harder to detect and also really dangerous to intercept um they were flying as low as 50 meters off of the ground which which means that even striking one of them um to to take it off of its course and to knock it down means that it could cause significant damage to anything beneath it so it was an extremely uh extremely dangerous situation um Ukraine does not have uh enough air defense systems to cover the entirety of its of its extremely vast country um you know just just to put it in context I mean Ukraine is the largest um country within Europe wholly within Europe if you don’t count um Russia right and so this is a large area that Ukraine says is it is unable to fully uh defend and that’s why president zalinsky this week is going to be in Washington pleading with NATO um to to uh have partner countries provide even more air defense systems uh to KF to better protected cities and and that is what Ukraine needs from its allies now is it Mr gurenko yes hello again I hope you hear me better now yeah much so we need yeah that was an awful attack I just wanted to again say that what can be worse than to attack a children’s hospital I don’t know what can be worse in the world and Russia again showed that they don’t want any peace all these are just tokens they’re just escalating and escalating and the question is if we have a real allies and partners and the United Kingdom is one of our key partners and also I just want to remind the United Kingdom together with the United States guaranteed to Ukraine 30 years ago with budapes memorandum our security when we gave up our nuclear weaponry never never ever anybody would attack our children hospital if we would have nuclear weaponry but we don’t have now and that was partly because of the position of the United Kingdom in the United States so now it’s the time to make these guarant is real and by this we need air defense badly and Ukraine is still begging for it asking for it and we received one two three system Patriot system others but we need 10 12 15 20 it’s the question of these and this the question of children’s lives so I don’t know why the West can’t make a really courageous decisions why the is providing us with enough Weaponry to survive but not with enough to stop this horror and to stop this teror from Russia are you are you worried by what’s happening in the electorates of the West obviously problems over Joe Biden but also uh problems for uh president macroon in France and of course counted perhaps by the arrival of a new prime minister in the UK Mr Garen I I’m not concerned about the United Kingdom I know personally prime minister starm foreign secretary ly Secretary of Defense Hy and all of them have a firm position of support of Ukraine but I want especially in situation that you described with the problems in the United States with the problems in France I hope that the United Kingdom government will lead the Free World like it was in Fe February 2022 February March 2022 when it was so much needed so I hope very much that new UK government to which I wish only the best uh will lead the Free World I don’t I I don’t have any doubts that we will be supported by the United Kingdom but it’s not enough it’s time to show leadership and Christopher Miller do you think that President Putin has been encouraged by what he’s seen going on in France and the United States absolutely I think that’s the same assessment that uh you know he he sees Discord uh in in the EU um he sees the election campaigns in the United States the debate around whether or not Biden should drop out of the race as beneficial to him I think you know he is in no rush to try to negotiate a settlement um unless it’s completely on Russia’s terms um anytime soon he views time as being on his side with either a potential uh Trump victory in the fall or um uh you know so much Discord uh within uh the west and and the EU following the elections in France and the changes of government in in in various other countries um you know this is something that Russia has and will continue to exploit so I think he feels as though he is currently in a position of of strength um and and Views this as having you know time on his side and I think you know this is this is an example of that right and and just to underscore the the important things that Lei has said you know this this missile that struck this hospital um you know the cynicism of of the def uh defense Ministry in Moscow saying that this is Ukraine’s fault because it was shooting down these missiles causing these explosions um is is clearly false because we’ve seen on U video unedited um highres video that this missile that struck the hospital was on a clear trajectory it was not uh interrupted or knocked off course um and and it struck and killed at least 22 people and the death PLL could now could now r over night it’s also right isn’t it Mr goncharenko that throughout this conflict many hospitals have been targeted in Ukraine yes that’s true but that is very special thinge you know this really children hospital and cancer hospital and for many ukrainians the name of this Hospital everybody in Ukraine knows it not just in Ukraine for many Eastern European countries and not only uh the children were coming to this hospital and everybody in Ukraine knows knows this name as a kind of you know the last hole and and we know all that there are very difficult children there very sick children there and and this is like I don’t know I have two boys I have two children and for me even it’s hard to speak about this I can’t imagine what feel all the parents which came through this Hospital during the years and it’s very very painful Alexi gurenko Ukrainian MP and also Christopher Miller of the financial times thank you both uh for joining us from Ukraine

“I have two boys. For me, it’s hard to talk about.”

Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko condemns the latest Russian missile barrage of Ukrainian cities, which killed at least 31 people.

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